Life At St Joel's: The Junior Fall Compendium
by Voice4TheMute
Summary: Series of stories that revolve around Scott, Kim, and Lisa as they do their best to survive St. Joel's Catholic High School and each other. These are the collective stories of their first semester together.
1. The New Kids

Disclaimer: I do not own the Scott Pilgrim series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters and lines belong to Bryan Lee O'Malley and other respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.

**This is a work of fiction, any similarity or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.** (I actually feel like I need to put this disclaimer since I will be using names that people MAY find familiar or events that MAY seem familiar. That is PURELY COINCIDENTAL)

To get the full reading experience, set the reading preference on the top right of this screen to the following settings: (Verdana Font), (1/2), (dark)

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_Voice4TheMute Presents_

_Ever wonder how long first impressions last? Forever. That's how long. Whether it's a good or bad first impression, you and everyone else in the world will remember someone by the first initial thought of them. Now that doesn't mean that you're labeled for life. There is a way to break first impressions, but it's a long uphill battle. But who cares about how you look in front of your peers? You're your own person and you should watch out for number one, right?_

…_well, when you're a student that's transferring into the junior year of high school, you learn that friends are hard to come by._

_A story based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim"_

"Everyone off the bus!" I heard the driver yell as I sat way in the back of the school bus. I watched as all the teenagers in their awkward black, blue, and purple uniform scurry out as I took my precious time not the rush off. Unfortunately for me, the bus driver was not so patient.

"Come on goldilocks! Let's go!" He yelled as I scowled at him and picked up my backpack. I adjusted my purple pearl hair clip one last time before walking to the front of the bus to get off. "Don't fall on the way out!" I heard him laugh as he closed the door shut as soon as I stepped off. I heard him peel out and I watched as my last chance to turn back drove away.

Now I'm stranded here…

…alone…

…at St. Joel's Catholic High School.

_Life at St. Joel's 008: The New Kids  
_

"_Maybe this won't be so bad._" I thought to myself as I built up the courage to walk forward towards the school. All the students were still outside the building talking to each other in their own little groups. School didn't start for another thirty minutes so everyone was catching up with one another, discussing what they did over the weekend or whatnot. "_I mean…this is my fresh start. I can be whoever I wanted to be. Not that I was a nobody back at my old school, but I can actually build my reputation to what I wanted! Maybe I can be part of the cool kids!" _I thought to myself as I looked around again. There were patch of students congregating everywhere. At first glance, it was oblivious which groups of kids were what. There were kids sitting on the ground playing some kind of trading card game, kids who sat in a circle with guitars and bongo drums in hands, even kids with violins and clarinets. There were groups with books, groups that carried around crochet hooks and yarn, groups with wizard hats…the more I looked around, the more I realized that this school was very diverse in interest and hobbies. But what also occurred to me was that most, if not, all of these groups were already established. They knew everyone inside and out and it would seem that they never really mingled with other people. That's when I realized that I was the odd one out. Integrated myself in any one of these clubs will be a real hassle, not to mention that I really don't have one distinguished hobby. Sure, I can sorta play the guitar, I can sorta knit…but it would seem as if these clicks were…specialized. The crotchet group was working on what looks like a gigantic blanket, the violin and clarinet ensemble were practicing a very complicated piece, and the group with the books were having a big discussion about the book that they were all holding in their hands. Most the friendships here were already established, so it's going to be very hard for me to fit in.

"Uh…Miss Miller?" I heard someone say as I looked forward to see that the double doors I was standing in front of were opened, revealing a middle age man with a brown suit. I blinked a few times as I stared at him. "…you are Miss Lisa Miller right?" He asked once again as I nodded.

"Y-Yeah. I am." I said as he extended his hand to me which I shook graciously.

"I'm Frank Thomas. I'm your Principal here as well at the Dean of Students. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to St. Joel's Catholic High School. I'm sure you'll fit right in." He said to me. It felt scripted of course, but it did feeling welcoming. Afterall, no one on the bus ride here or walking to the front ever said 'hi' to me in the first place. They were in their own little worlds. Worlds that I was still trying to figure out how to get in to. As I looked at the Dean, there was a puzzled look on his face.

"…is something the matter?" I asked as he rubbed his chin.

"There should be one more…" He said as he stared at me. But whatever was on his mind at the time, he quickly dismissed it. "Oh nevermind. Come with me. I'll get you your class schedule and one member of the ASB will show you where your classes are." He said as we walked into the main hallway. The walls of the hallway were lined with lockers…as far as the eye could see! There were a few people inside already, taking out their books and talking among friends as the quickly glanced at the dean then at me. I caught them staring at me and they just stared right back.

"Creepy…" I said to myself as I saw Dean Thomas look behind his shoulder.

"Did you say something?"

"N-nothing sir!" I said quickly, adding the 'sir' at the end out of impulsion. It was a bad habit of mine to add that at the end when talking to people who have a greater authority than me. "Um…Dean Thomas? Sir? You said that someone from…what was it? ASB…? They were going to show me around? Who are they?"

"The associated student body, Miss Miller." He simply said as we rounded a corner. The walls of lockers continued down this hallway as well. It was like a metal deathtrap that it just waiting for you to be alone in the halls so that it can smash you in with its grey, metal doors.

"Man of few words." I said aloud as he turned his head to me again. I felt my body tense up from his gaze.

"I'm going to forget I heard that Miss Miller." He said as he turned his head forwards and kept walking. We finally came to a door with a brass sign that said 'Principal' on the front. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this was his office. "Come on in." He said as he opened the door. It was a typical office. Nice wooden Desk in the middle with a name triangle in the middle, picture of him, his wife, and kids on the side, selves of books all along the walls, and a lamp that hovered over the writing area of his desk. I took a seat in his rather comfortable chairs as he took a seat behind his desk.

"This is a nice place you have set up." I said to him as he paid no attention. I saw him open his drawer and pulled out a vanilla folder and opened it on his desk. On the tab was my name on it and inside was a file about me with a paper-clipped picture of me taken during my sophomore at my old school. He pulled out another sheet of paper that was behind my file and looked over it.

"Ok Miss Miller, according to your transcript from your last high school, these classes was chosen for you. Should you find any difficulty please seek help with the teacher first before coming to the office. We wish to see you succeed, not fail." He said, scripted again. I knew that was scripted since he wasn't even looking at me while he said it. His vision was concentrated on a book that was on his shelf or something in that general direction. He went to his intercom which was off to the bottom corner of his desk and pushed it. "Miss Adams, can you please inform the ASB guide that Miss Miller is ready." He said as there was a confirmation from the other then.

"Alright Dean Thomas."

"Thank you so much Dean Thomas." I said to him as he looked straight into my eyes. I clammed up again as he had a serious face as he looked at me.

"Miss Miller, I take it that you'll be a good student and a productive member of our school, right?" He said, almost rhetorically but in a serious tone. "I will see you around campus, but I pray that I never have to see you in my office, is that clear?"

"C-Crystal! …sir!" I stammered as I tensed up. He kept his gaze on me for another minute before looking up.

"Ahh. You must be the guide." He said, in a normal voice as I looked over my shoulder. A girl stood right behind my chair. She had shoulder length brown hair and wore the St. Joel's school uniform with the plaid purple skirt on. I opted for the black skirt since I already had my purple clip and purple bracelet on. "Miss Lisa Miller is ready for her tour."

"Okay. Shall we?" She said to me as I got up and waved the Dean good-bye as we walked out the door. We walked down the locker-filled hallways before the guide talked to me again. "I'm impressed. You manage to survive a talk with our Dean." She said to me as looked over at her.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well…he's a very serious guy, if you couldn't tell." She said to me as I reverted back to his warning.

"Yeah…no kidding."

"That, and it would seem that our graduating year has brought him a couple of troublemakers. It had kept him…on edge…" She said as she brought me to my first class room. "Here it is, 143. You'll have Geography here." She said as she continued to walk. I quickly followed right behind her.

"What do you mean 'troublemakers'?" I asked as it finally donned on me that we haven't introduced each other. "I'm Lisa by the way." I quickly added.

"Lauren. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Troublemakers as in guys who, for lack of better words, are bullies. They cause trouble and even start fights every once in awhile. If it weren't for the parents being huge donators to the school, they would have been kicked out by now." She said as she showed me my second classroom.

"Wow…that sucks. So I should avoid…?" I trailed my voice, hoping she would fill me in.

"…avoid the three man group who call themselves the Joel Bruisers. Subtle, I know. Watch out for a man in a black bennie…a high 'big' guy with the thick eyebrows, and the blond that has a receding hairline. Edward, Austin, and Andrew."

"Good to know. Thanks Lauren." I said to her as she nodded in acknowledgement.

"Also, find a club to join. If you haven't noticed, this school is very…club oriented." She said as we stopped in the hallway in front of my third classroom.

"I noticed. So everyone outside is part of a club then?" I asked as she nodded.

"Basically. Clubs usually hold their recruitment during the second month of the semester. But that's still a long time from now. If you don't want to feel out of place, then I suggest during lunch, you should wander around the campus and see what clubs interest you. Figure out what your hobbies are and just…join."

"But what if I'm not really 'good' at my hobby?"

"…well, this school is pretty diverse in clubs. I'm sure you'll find something." She said as we continued the tour.

* * *

_And so…lunch started…_

"Hi." I started as I stood in front of the group that was strumming their guitars on the benches outside. The seven man group stopped their playing and looked up at me. I was a bit startled by their sudden attention, but decided to continue my introduction. "Um…I'm Lisa. I'm a transfer student and I couldn't help but notice that you guys play the guitar." They continued to stare at me. Or maybe my breast…I wasn't sure now. "Um…I play the guitar as well." I said to them. Truth was I only played maybe three times but I can read tablature…maybe that can pass?

"What kind of guitar do you play?"

"Who's your favorite guitarist?"

"What cord is this?"

"Where is your guitar? We should jam together!"

They all started to ask me guitar related questions so fast that my brain just couldn't keep up. "I…uh…nevermind…" I said as I slowly started to back up and then fully turned around to walk away from them. "_Alright…that didn't work. But there are other clubs I could join…"_

_Crochet Club_

"What's your biggest project that you've done?"

"Uh…" I hesitated. "A sock?"

_Literature Club_

"We're currently reading 'Love in the Time of Cholera' in its original Spanish version. You're welcome to join us and read along with us as we explore the characters and figure what the author means behind each person!"

"…I can't read Spanish let alone understand it."

_Gaming Club_

"Awesome! A fellow gamer! Please tell my fellow 'friend' that anyone with a brain should always go for a fourteen pool to fourteen hatch. I mean, that build order can survive anything!"

"I don't even know what game you're talking about!"

_TCG (Trading Card Game) Club_

"….girl…"

"…ok. I'm not sure what I was thinking…" I said as I left the club room.

With lunch half way over, I found myself alone at a lunch table in the middle of the cafeteria. It was the only table that the clicks and the clubs haven't taken for some reason, and I found it to be a very comfortable place to just wallow in my failed attempt to join a club here.

"I can't believe this…I don't fit in anywhere. I was a nobody back in my old school and I'm a nobody here…" I sighed as I looked around the cafeteria. Everyone was talking among each other…having fun…being with friends…being with people that share the same interest… "Huh?" I noticed a small group of girls who were sitting off to the right corner of the cafeteria. They didn't seem to be doing anything but talking to one another. Maybe they weren't part of a club. Maybe they were outcasts…outcasts like me. It brought my spirits up as I built up the courage to go talk to them.

_The Outcast_

"Uh…hi." I said rather weakly at them. The group consists of three girls: one blond with a long ponytail, one brunette with short hair, and one black hair girl that went down past her shoulders. As I said hi, they all turned and looked at me, one with a raised eyebrow. "Um…can I join you gals?" They all looked at each other for a full minute before scooting over. "_Finally! A break!"_ I sat right down next to the brunette who scooted away from me to give me more space…or just to get away from me. I wasn't too sure. "I'm Lisa."

"Britney." The black-haired girl said.

"Michelle." The brunette spoke.

"And I'm Alice." The blond said to me as they looked over at me.

"Pleasure to meet you." I said, hoping that would get their judging gaze off me. "…soooo what do you girls do? Are you a club?" I asked as they looked at one another before the brunette spoke up.

"I guess you can say that we're a club."

"We make sure 'order' is sustained in school. Kinda like…" Britney started as she stalled, trying to think of a good word.

"…police." Alice said as I raised an eyebrow. I wasn't sure if that was the word Britney was looking for, but neither she nor Michelle was disagreeing. "Nothing happens on these grounds without our knowledge. I guess you can say we're the un-deputized field monitors around here. So tell me blondie, what brings you here? You don't look familiar. But you don't look like a freshman. You new?"

"Yeah." I admitted, scratching my head. "I'm a transfer student. Family moved to Northern Ontario a month ago so I had to move from my old school to here. Lost all of my friends back home and was hoping to make new ones." I said to them. They didn't say anything at first. But they all looked up at Alice for some kind of response.

"You're looking for friends?" She said to me, almost condescending.

"…um. Yeah. I mean…if you want to be friends…" I said, starting to feel unwanted.

"…well you came to the right place. We know everyone who's anyone on this campus. If you stick with us, you'll get plenty of friends." Alice said to me as I felt my spirits picked up again.

"Really?" I said jumping out of my seat excitedly. They all looked at me as if I was crazy so I calmed myself and said back down. "I mean…really?"

"Mhmm..." Alice said as she looked at Britney and Michelle. "We'll gladly help you get on your feet here in this crazy school…but first! How about you buy us some drinks? You know…to toast to your new start." She said as I got up.

"O-O-Of course! Yeah! A toast! Three…no, four people. Ouch…that's a bit of coin. But you know, anything for my new friends!" I said, unsure at first since it will deplete my weekly allowance, but anything was worth it to get friends. I rushed over to where the vending machines that were in the room and started to put in my money. "I can't believe it…I hit the jackpot! I guess things really work themselves out eventually!" Another girl came besides me and started putting in money for the other vending machine. I didn't get a good look at her, but her voice was a bit monotone.

"I'd be careful if I were you…" She said to me, but I didn't pay attention. All of my attention was putting the coins into the machine. "…mix in with the wrong crowd and you'll find yourself at the bottom of the chain." She said again as I saw her get whatever she was purchasing and walk away. I turned to see who she was, but she somehow disappeared in the crowd that was walking around the cafeteria.

"…uh, ok. That was weird." I said as I reach down and picked up four cans of soda and placed it against my body. Holding four cold cans was harder and more complicated than I thought as I started to make my way back to the table in the corner. "_Ok…let's not drop any of these. These cost me the rest of my allowance for God's sake! The last thing I want to do is…."_

"MOVE GIRLIE!" A guy said in a loud, but raspy voice as I saw a big hand move towards me and shoveled my shoulder out the way. I did my best to hold the cans of soda against my body as the guy shoved but I felt one slip from my grasp and fall onto the ground. My eyes widen as I saw it hit the ground and bounce up, flipping in midair for a second. Holding three in one arm, I quickly caught the can in mid-flip and sighed with relief, seeing that there was no visible damage…but it was intensely shaken up.

"_Man, oh man…this thing is ready to blow…Okay. I'll take this one. Last thing I wanna do is spray my new friends…"_

"What's the holdup?" I heard Britney yell as I perked back up and pressed the cans against my body again.

"I'm coming!" I said as I carefully walked back to the table. I watched as the girls watch me as I placed the cans down. But when I did, instead of the cans staying in a straight line where I can identify the shaken can, they all fell over and started to roll away from me. "Oh crap!"

"Don't worry about it. Dibs" Michelle said as she took the closest can to her. Britney and Alice also took a random can as I was left with the last one. I hesitantly took it and looked at it, then looked at the others.

"_Oh no….oh crap…which one is it? Am I holding it? Or one of them? I have a twenty-five percent chance of getting it right! …no. I think I have it. This was the far right can so this has to be it."_

"To our new friend! May she find the friends and popularity that she seeks by hanging out with us!" Alice toasted as she lifted the can in the air. Britney and Michelle did the same as I raised my can half of my arm length.

"Here here!"

"H-here…here…" I softly said. "_I have the can…I know I have the can….but crap! Now I can't open it! It'll explode on me and everyone will see it!"_

But the truth was…

…I didn't have it.

Alice did.

As soon as Alice pulled the tab forward, she was greeted by a constant spray of cola all over her face and all over her body. Britney and Michelle shrieked as they back way from the cola geyser that was unleashed on her as Alice was left in a sloppy mess. Her hair, her clothes, her face was completely drenched and her gaze was fixed on me.

"…here here?" I said, lifting my cola in the air again as she glared at me with all her might.

"YOU! You unbelievable BITCH! Who put you to this? Who are you working for?" She yelled at me as I backed up. I wasn't sure what she was talking about, but I guess she thinks someone as put me to this.

"I-I'm not working for anyone! It was an accident I swear!" I defended myself as she continued to yell at me.

"Do you have any idea what you've DONE? ANY IDEA!" She yelled as I started to hear the murmurs behind me.

"I can't believe that new girl soaked the most popular girl in school…"

"She completely hosed down the Dean of Student's daughter…"

"Ouch…spraying her was probably the first and last thing she'll do at this school. She'll have to transfer out of her."

"Wait…" I said, looking back at her. "You girls aren't outcast…like me?"

"OUTCAST?" Alice yelled at me again. "We're the most popular and the most influential people at this school! Seniors look up to us! And missy! You made the biggest mistake of your young, high school life! I will PERSONALLY make sure NO ONE will be your friend!" She yelled as people started to gather around to see what I did.

"I…I didn't know! I'm sorry!" I pleaded

"You won't get away with this Lisa! I swear it!" Alice said as I saw Britney suddenly appeared and right behind her, was a field monitor.

"See? That girl sprayed her with soda!" Britney said as the field monitor looked over at me. I suddenly felt betrayed. The people I thought could be my friends ended up being the worse people I could have tangled with.

"It was an accident!" I said to the field monitor as he pointed his finger towards the direction to the door.

"Principal's. NOW!" He said to me as everyone quieted down. I looked over at Alice, Britney, and Michelle who were all looking at me with death stares. I looked at the people in the crowd and saw that they were all judging me at that second.

At that instant, I knew where I stood in this school. I knew what everyone was thinking about me…

…I knew what their first impression was…

I turned towards the door as saw the students create a path for me to take straight out the door. I took my walk of shame and went through the double doors, and heading towards the Principal's office.

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From one day I went from new kid to outcast. I knew my social life was now official dead and everyone at school will be talking about me behind my back. It was a terrible feeling and I wish and pleaded that somehow, God would turn back time so I can prevent that incident from happening. But even I knew that was no possible. So I sat in the chair outside the principal's office and sulked into it as much as I can. But soon, someone else came by and took a seat right next to me. I raised an eyebrow as I carefully inspected him. He was around my height, messy light brown hair, uniform torn to shreds, and what looks like two black eyes forming. As he sat down, he leaned forward and propped his head up with his hands and sighed.

"_Maybe this is my crowd. Maybe I'm doomed to hang out with the troublemakers of the school. Afterall, I'm now one of them."_

"What are you in for?" I asked as he looked over at me.

"I got in a fight." He said as he made eye contact with me. "An _awesome_ fight."

"Did you win?"

"Uhhhh…not really." He said, looking away from me, clearly frustrated by that fact.

"Well, at least you're honest." I said to myself, relieved that this guy wasn't a total meathead. "Are you new?"

"Yeah."

"Me, too. I'm Lisa."

"Scott Pilgrim."

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To Be Continued…

A/N: So there you go! The first of many many chapters of this story! This first chapter is a bit boring since it is just establishing the scene where this will all take place and some of the important characters had to be introduced and…well, you know how story telling is in the first chapter: all info, not enough original content. BUT I do have stories planned for Lisa, Scott, and soon to join them, Kim. So keep an eye out for the update dates on my profile page, PLEASE review of what you guys think. Should I continue? Do you have any ideas you wanna see? Do you want your NAME or WANT TO NAME a character in this story? Just send a PM or send in the review since I'm desperate for names to add into this ever-grown high school. So that's my author's note. Please review and keep an eye on my profile page for the next update.

Until Next Time…!


	2. Friendship 101

Disclaimer: I do not own the Scott Pilgrim series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters and lines belong to Bryan Lee O'Malley and other respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.

**This is a work of fiction, any similarity or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.**

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**_Voice4TheMute Presents_**

_Different types of friends exist. You have your party friends, your intellectual friends, your homework friends, your lazy friends, your cunning friends,…the list goes on and on. Even though we won't admit it, in a sense, we are all users. Everyone has one or two friends for every occasion. We have friends we can go to when we want gossip, friends to lend us money without thinking any less of us, and friends that we can get copies of homework from. So why am I mentioning this? Well, usually those groups of friends will never meet each other. Kinda like how you want keep your friends and family separate from each other since you act differently between the two. But there are those rare occasions where you'll meet someone where you're not afraid to show him or her every aspect of you. These people are a very special group of friends._

_They're your best friends._

…_and to get those kinds of friends, it all starts with one conversation._

**_A story based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim"_**

"_Well…that certainly could have gone better…"_ I thought to myself as I was walking from my house on an evening stroll. "_I mean…on my first day of school, I tanked my reputation, I hosed down the Dean's daughter in soda, and I got detention."_ The thing was that I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I was smiling. It was a productive day, you know, ignoring the mood swings at school. "_Although…detention could have gone a little smoother…"_

_Detention_

"The reason why you're in here is because you maggots manage to break school rules of the first day of school." Dean Thomas said to me, Scott, and three other students as we sat inside a classroom after school. The Dean was no pleased when word got out that it was me that made his daughter a soggy, sugary mess. He was also not pleased when he saw that Scott picked a fight with students on the first day of school, as well as showing up to school during lunch time and not in the morning when he was scheduled to show up. "You are the lowest of the low. And by wasting the student's time with your shenanigans, I'm entitled to waste your time by holding you here on campus. So stay seated, shut up, and if I hear a peep from you tools, you can beat that this won't be the last time you'll be in this room." He said to us as he walked out of the room. I never really understood why they walk out of the room. You know things are going to happen once those doors close. As soon as Dean Thomas walked out of the room and close the door, I saw Scott get hit with what looks like a pink eraser.

"So! You've come back for more lumps, Pilgrim!"

Both Scott and I turned around to see three boys sitting right behind us. I didn't get a good chance to see them before since my mind was sent on just to sit in detention and sit it out. I narrowed my eyes as I carefully looked at the three guys. Man in a black bennie, a rather large guy with the thick eyebrows, and a blond guy with a receding hairline. These guys look familiar. I remember Lauren, the girl with ASB, told me about them. Edward, Austin, and Andrew I think. Another thing I noticed is that their uniform was torn just as badly as Scott's.

"Oh! I see you brought your girlfriend with you too!" I heard the blond guy said as he pointed at me. I saw Scott immediately swatted his hand away as he glared as each of them.

"She's not my girlfriend! And if you think I'm going to take your verbal abuse, then get really to receive a physical one!" Scott yelled, picking up both of his fist up.

"Edward, Austin, and Andrew. I heard of you guys before." I said to them, hoping that my conversation could somehow pacify them.

"That's right. We're the Joel Bruisers!" Edward, the guy in the black beanie said to me.

"Hey…you're the girlie that I shoved. How did you like that soda bath? Heh, guess you shouldn't have opened up that can." The big guy said to me as the blond tapped his shoulder.

"Uh, Austin. She seems dry for someone that was sprayed with soda."

"Yeah. Brilliant perception there." I said to him, now figuring out who was who. The beanie guy must be Edward, the big guy is Austin, and the blond must be Andrew. "If you must know, that soda bath that you wanted to give me was delivered to Alice. And she got soaked real good. That's why I'm here." I said, crossing my arms at him. It was his fault that I was here, and why my reputation is now in the sinkhole.

"Oh? The soda got Alice? Well, I guess it wasn't the dumb blond I was aiming for, but same difference, am I right boys?" Austin said as both Andrew and Edward joined him in laughing. But the laughing was halted when Scott punched Austin right in the middle of his square face. He fell backwards and toppled over the desk behind him with a loud crash. Both Andrew and Edward stopped laughing and watched as their supposed leader just fell over. I, on the other hand, had my jaw drop as I saw Scott threw that punch. I was my first time seeing someone punch someone else…and something tells me it won't be my last.

"Shut your face, fatty! I thought we had a fight going on here!" Scott yelled as he got out of his seat. Austin was helped up by his two lackeys as they looked at Scott with menacing eyes.

"S-Scott. Dude…you can't just punch people. I mean, we're already in detention. If Dean Thomas comes back…!" I warned Scott, but Austin was already up and he was mad.

"That's it Pilgrim! You're getting your second beating for the day!" He yelled at him as Scott brought his fist together and gave them a tap.

"Bring it!"

…_and so, ten minutes later…_

"Alright you maggots. I know I heard some- WHAT IN THE HOLY JESUS HAPPENED HERE?" Dean Thomas said as I saw him come in and see the remains of the classroom. Desks were turned over, books were scattered all over the place, pieces of paper were covering the grounds, and there was a broken window or two. I, on the other hand, was sitting diligently in my desk, hoping that if I look civilized, I wouldn't get in trouble. As for Scott and them? They were also sitting in their desk. Whether or not they were conscious was a different story.

"Sir! They got into another fight sir!" I yelled as I got up and addressed him as if he was a drill sergeant. Who knows? Maybe he'll buy it.

"What the-! Miller! Did you see this happen?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"And you didn't do anything to stop them?"

"Sir, I am I weak girl sir!"

"Are you mocking me?"

"….uh, no? Sir? …no?" I said, a bit confused on how to answer him that time.

"THAT'S IT! DETENTION FOR ALL OF YOU TOMORROW!"

**_Life at St. Joel's 009: Friendship 101_**

"Well…at least I know Scott has my back…I think. Speaking of which." I said as I found myself in front of a house. It wasn't my house, but the house of Scott Pilgrim. After that little debacle, I found Scott's wallet still in the classroom. I figured I could use this as an excuse to see my new, slightly hardheaded, friend. That…and give back his wallet. I walked to the front and knocked on the door. Within minutes, a man in glasses answered the door and looked at me.

"Hello?"

"Um. Hi! I'm Lisa. I'm classmates with Scott and…" I started as I reached into my pocket and pulled out his wallet. "…he dropped this as Scott as he was leaving." I exaggerated. I'm pretty sure his parents know he was in a fight today, but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Oh. Thanks for bringing it back. Scott is in the basement." He said as he stepped aside to let me in. "I'm his brother by the way. SCOTT!" He yelled in the direction I suspected was the basement

"WHAT?" I heard Scott's voice echo throughout the house.

"VISITOR!" His brother yelled. We didn't hear a response, but he nodded at me. "Well, he's obviously down there. Just go on." He said to me as I walked down the stairs that lead to their basement. There I saw Scott fixated on the TV as he was playing a video game.

"Hey!" I said to him as I came down the stairs.

"What are you doing in my house?" He said…well, I think yelled at me. He didn't turn his head to see me, nor did I think he recognized my voice. I walked over and sat down on the couch near him.

"Your brother let me in." I said to him, hopefully this time he'll turn to see me.

"This is ridiculous! No, we _can't_ be friends!" He said to me as he continued to mash buttons and still not turning to see me. His words hurt, but maybe if I saw who he was talking to, he wouldn't be so hostile. I mean…we agreed to be friends…right?

"Are you playing video games?" I asked, hoping to strike conversation with him with something he likes. But he just continued to play. "Do you have any lemonade?" I asked, feeling a bit parched. I figured if I was going to establish some kind of friendly connection to him, I might as well get comfortable.

"Yes! And No!" Scott yelled again. "We only have iced tea." I felt a little uncomfortable with all the yelling his was doing. He didn't even acknowledge my existence yet. He probably thinks I'm his brother or something…

"I'll ask your brother where the glasses are." I said, getting up and walking to the stairs. "What's his name?"

"Lawrence. Who are you?" I heard Scott said to me. I looked over at him and finally looked over and saw me.

"It's Lisa, remember?" I said to him as there was still a puzzled look on his face.

"Lisa?"

"…nevermind. Lawrence right? I'll go find him." I said as I walked back up to the first floor and looked around. I saw the guy that opened the door for me and walked to him. "Are you Lawrence?" I asked as he looked at me and nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier."

"Can I get some ice tea?" I asked as he nodded and got me a cup.

"Sorry about Scott. Whenever he plays games, he's kinda gets lost in his own little world, you know?" He said as he poured me a glass. "I don't know what he gets from those games. Though he has been playing a lot of fighting games lately."

"Maybe he's learning from them." I said as I took the cup from him and gave a sip. "Mmm. Thanks Lawrence."

"Learning to fight from a video game? I doubt it." He said as he poured himself a glass as well. "You're welcome Lisa. Oh, and Lisa?" He said as I was already heading back to the basement to talk to Scott.

"Yeah?"

"Scott may be a little difficult to get along with. But give him a chance. Ever since the move, he hasn't been that open on making friends so…just don't give up on him, alright?" I gave him a smile as I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Don't worry. I'm about the same as well. And truthfully…he's probably the only 'friend' I have. Right now." I said to him as I headed down the stairs. "Hey there Scott. Found the ice tea."

"Did you get me a glass?" I heard him yell at me as I saw him paying attention to the game again, and not the person he was talking to. I sighed as I made it back to the couch.

This is going to be a long day...

* * *

After spending most of my evening with Scott in his basement, having dinner with his family, and even playing with his dog, I got nowhere in my friendship with him. He still didn't pay attention to me as he played video games, his attention was then focused on the food he was eating, and he was playing games again as I was playing with his dog. In all, my attempt establish a real friendship with him yesterday….fail. BUT! I didn't give up. I figured we can talk during lunch…

_Lunch_

"Hey!" I said as I saw Scott sitting in the middle table where no one else sat. I started to wonder if ANYONE sat at that table, but I dismissed that thought. My focus was finally establishing a real friendship with him. I took a seat right next to him and placed my tray of food down on the table. He didn't say anything though, and it would seem he packed his own lunch. _"I couldn't connect with him with small talk, maybe he likes to talk about academics."_ "Hey! Do you know this?" I asked him as I pulled out my English text book and opened it to the reading assignment. He didn't respond. "have you read this?" I tried again.

"What? No!" Scott yelled again as I sighed.

"English is next period, eh?" I asked again, hopefully getting some kind of conversation going.

"Stop it! Go away!"

"_Ok…maybe academics isn't something he's interested in. Maybe it's food? I mean…he seems very focused on his food right now." _I thought to myself as I picked up my fork and stirred my food with it."Have you ever bought these Mexican fries? Isn't that, like…racist or something?"

"My mom packs my lunch." He said to me as I smirked.

"What a sweet, innocent boy you are." I poked fun at him, but he didn't respond. I looked back at my food then back at him. "_Nothing is working. He doesn't want to talk about academics…not about food…he doesn't even want to talk…period. Maybe this is a lost cause. Maybe I'm wasting my time…"_ I got up and picked up my tray. "I guess I'll see you in English…?" I said as I looked at him, but he was busy eating his sandwich. I sighed as I walked away from him. I didn't think he noticed I was gone.

I don't think he cared…

* * *

_The Next Day…_

I arrived on campus early. I wasn't sure what possessed me to do so, but I got to campus a lot earlier than that I was use to. And what was I doing on campus so early? Sitting under a tree and looking at the falling leaves. It something I do sometimes when I'm feeling down. Just go outside and have a …wilderness sabbatical. But who can blame me…spent the last two days trying to connect with someone that didn't want to talk to me, let alone acknowledge my existence. My only chance at having a friend, and he won't even engagement in conversation. I guess I should have known. I mean…with what happen on the first day, I guess asking for a friend is too much. I saw the bus roll up with the rest of the students and sighed as they came out of it. I picked up the closest leaf and started to examine it when a familiar voice called to me.

"Hey."

I looked up from the leaf to see that Scott was looking at me with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey." I said back as I looked back at my leaf. I expected him to keep on walking and ignore me like he has for the past two days…

…but he didn't.

I heard him walk towards me and take a seat right next to me, using his hands to prop himself up as he leaned back. I wasn't sure what to make of this. Does this mean he wants to talk? What does he want to talk about? Is he just taking pity on me for being alone out here? I wasn't sure why he was here, but there was something I needed to ask him before I could answer any other questions I had.

"Do you hate me?" I asked him, looked away from him.

"No."

"…oh. That's good, I think." I said as I looked over at him, making eye contact. "So why are you here?"

"…good place to just…sit and talk, don't you think?"

* * *

To Be Continued

I know this is a short chapter, but still building the base for the story…and I'm going with what Bryan Lee O'Malley wrote. If you haven't noticed, I'm sticking relativity close to the story, trying to fill in the holes that needed to be filled. So anyways, thanks for reading, please review…and if you haven't seen my profile page, then go see it. The next chapter is going to be a Kim Pine POV, so you know it's going to be good because…well, I just love writing Kim POVs.

Until Next Time…!


	3. The Right Place at the Right Time

Disclaimer: I do not own the Scott Pilgrim series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters and lines belong to Bryan Lee O'Malley and other respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.

**This is a work of fiction, any similarity or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.**

* * *

_**Voice4TheMute Presents**_

_The world…no, the universe has a plan for everyone and it is always in motion. Whether that plan is to help someone discover a cure for a major disease, invent something that can help mankind, or shed light to a world mystery, the universe's plan for everyone is always in motion. Now that's not to say that we can't take control of our actions. We will have to take action, and our decisions are our own. You see, the greatest moments of our lives aren't going to be the paramount events, but the insignificant events as well. Because whether or not we see it, those insignificant events can lead up to significant events which will ultimately shape our lives. I guess what I'm trying to say is…pay attention to what you're doing each day._

_Because on any given day, you can step out the front door and your whole life can change forever._

_**A story based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim"**_

"How did I end up here…?" I muttered to myself as I sat in class, my head resting on my hand as I stared at the front of the class. The seat next to me was empty, and truthfully, I wasn't expecting anyone to fill it anytime soon. I mean, who wants to sit next to the junior representative of ASB? Kinda intimidating if you ask me. But I shouldn't feel depressed. I'm use to it by now. The only real friend I have is Lauren, but she's in a different class right now. I could have taken the same class with her, but 'smart' me had to find that loop hole in class scheduling so that I only have this class twice a week out of the possible four. I sighed as I leaned back in my chair and undid my small ponytail, allowing my red hair to fall freely down to my chin.

"_I really hope this school year isn't as hectic and crazy as it was last year. I mean…I wouldn't trade that year for anything…but it was a lot of trouble that I decided to throw myself into. I just want a nice…calm…school year. And what a better time to ask than at the beginning of a new school year?"_

"Kimberly Pine?"

My head shot up as I heard my name get called by the teacher. I raised my hand to indicate that I was present and I saw him mark me down on his roll sheet. I lowered my hand and stared blankly at my notebook that I had designated for this class. I opened the cover to reveal several opened letters from my boyfriend Simon Lee. A lot of them were very flattering, but most of them were just apologies and whining about his new school. You see, we're doing long distance…and really….long distance is just a terrible idea. But like I said…it was a hectic sophomore year. How hectic? Well, let's take a trip down memory lane.

So where to begin…

_**Life at St. Joel's 010: The Right Place at the Right Time**_

_One year ago…_

"Ladies and gentlemen of St. Joel's, the polls are in!" The voice of Veronica Shelter, the school's spirit leader and the voice that always came out of the PA, echoed throughout the school. Lauren, my best friend, and I sat in our homerooms. The clatter and chit chat that was happening in our room instantly stopped as everyone stared at the PA system as if it was a person. "You all voted, and this year's president is…!"

"So are you excited Kim?" I heard Lauren as me as I was leaning back in my chair, arms crossed over my chest.

"Excited like bees to honey." I said in a flat tone. I felt Lauren playfully shove me as I tried to regain balance in my seat. If it weren't for the fact that I had my arms cross I would have pushed her back. Afterall we did share the same desk that fits two.

"Oh come on! You might be the sophomore representative this year! Do you know what kind of perks or prestige that is?" She said to me as I continued to stare at the PA.

"I get to do something on my Friday afternoons?" I said sarcastically as I saw Lauren shook her head.

"It means you'll become popular!"

"I didn't join to be part of the popular crowd." I growled as I looked over two tables away from me, at the back of the head of a certain blond girl and her two annoying friends. "I certain didn't join to get my name noticed. I joined because maybe, just maybe, I could make a difference in this school. Maybe get the tampon dispenser in the girl's room to actually dispense tampons, not rolled up napkins from the cafeteria."

"Oh come on…think of the bright side! Perks! You might get attention from the juniors or even the senior boys…" Lauren teased as I shook my head again.

"I definitely didn't join to hit on upperclassmen..." I said as I looked over where Clark Esteed sat. He turned around to catch me staring at him and he gave me a small wink. I returned a scowl that made him turn back around, a little bit afraid of me. "You know Lauren…"

"This year's Treasurer is…!"

"…you speak so highly about these positions in ASB, I'm surprised that you didn't run yourself." I said, looking over at her.

"Huh…maybe I should run for something next year. What do you think I should run for?"

"This year's senior representatives are…!"

"Maybe Treasurer. You're good with money." I said to her as she shook her head.

"Yeah, maybe spending it…"

"This year's junior representatives are…!"

"Maybe Spirit Leader. I mean, I love Veronica, not in the gay way, but sometimes her voice can get annoying in the morning." I said as Lauren shook her head again.

"Nah. I can barely stand my own voice let alone hearing it….KIM! Shhh! Sophomore representatives are about to be announced!" Lauren said as my attention went from her to the PA.

"This year's sophomore representatives are…!"

My heart raced…and for good reason too. This was my friend time ever running for anything…putting my neck on the line for anything…the first time that I actually competed against anyone for a prize…

"…Kimberly Pine…!"

My eyes widen as I heard my name and, bless Lauren, she was cheering and yelling for me as I sat in my seat completely stunned by the announcement. I couldn't believe it. I won. I actually won something. It was different than getting an 'A' on a report or on a test. You fought for that yourself. But the reason I won was because people thought you were going to be a good representative of their class. I felt privileged, I felt…honored.

"I wonder who'll be your partner!" Lauren yelled excitedly as my self-absorbing trance broke at that moment.

"…wait, partner?" I said, confused

"…and Simon Lee!"

There was a loud cheer coming from down the hall which I can only assume was coming from the classroom where Simon Lee resides. I wasn't sure why I completely forgotten, but the class representatives were paired off, just in case one wasn't able to make the meetings they hold on Fridays. But I knew I would make them…as depressing as it sounded, I had nothing better to do on my Friday afternoons.

"Go Kim! You have to report to the office!" Lauren reminded me as I instinctively got up and started to make my way out. There were mixed feelings about my recent election. Some people said 'congratulations' to me, some just stared at me, and I think I felt a glare coming from someone else…maybe from Alice since she also ran for sophomore representative. As I walked down the hall, I saw a boy standing near the lockers as he watched me. I watched him as well as I walked past him, but then he started to walk right next to me.

"Kimberly Pine?"

"Um…yes?" I responded, looking at the Chinese boy with glasses.

"Simon Lee." He introduced himself as he stuck out his hand. I shook it as I nodded at him.

"Oh. Simon Lee. So you're going to be my partner in crime, huh?" I said, making a crummy joke, but anything to make it feel less awkward. I mean…he was looking at me as if he knew who I am, and I walked pass him since I didn't know who the hell he was.

"I guess you can say that. Oh, and do your best to show up for the Friday meetings. I'll be there every time, but you know…just do your best." He said, almost smugly. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Pff…I don't know what you're insinuating, but I'll definitely be there every Friday. I just hope that YOU do your best to show up." I said, shooting the smugness back at him.

"Heh, I have a perfect attendance record at this school. Not only that, but I have a 4.0 GPA and heading to be Summa Cum Laude as this school.

"Well, good luck with that…" I said as I accelerated forward. Simon did his best to keep up with him.

"….w-why's that'?" He asked as he tried to catch up without looking like he was running. Afterall, running in the hallways gets you in trouble.

"…because that title will belong to me." I turned back at him and gave him a small smirk.

_That was the first time I saw Simon Lee. And it sure as hell wouldn't be the last. I didn't know he existed until then, but now that I knew he was there…it was hard NOT to see him everywhere. He was very active in many clubs, he played some sports, but not a lot, and he seemed to get along with everyone…except for the Brusiers…but no one gets a long with them. But the more I hung out with Simon…the more comfortable I got around him. I met some of his friends, and he met mine…well, he met Lauren. And for most of the fall semester, we got along just fine. There were some academic squabbles and competition for the better grade, but that was it. Everything was fine in the wonderful life of Kim Pine_

…_until spring semester…_

_One semester ago…_

"Can you believe that they're making us select our classes for our junior year?" I heard Lauren said to me as we both sat in the library, class schedules in front of us along with the list of possible classes rested between us.

"A little…I mean…I'm not even sure what classes I want to take…" I said as I looked at the long list.

"Oh! You should take American Studies with me!" She said as she pointed at the class list and when the classes are meeting. When I saw the date and time, I shook my head at her.

"Sorry Lauren, but that's one class I probably can't get with you."

"What? Why?" She asked as I showed her my schedule I worked out so far.

"Because it conflicts with my schedule…and my master plan." I said, trying to make it sound evil as I can…which means making sound as monotone as I could make my voice.

"…master plan? Ew…don't tell me that schedule matches with Simon's…"

"What? No! Look." I said, putting my schedule down and bringing the class list near me. "Geography class is a Tuesday to Friday class right? Well, since my duties limits my time during these days, I only have to show up for maybe…ten minutes? Meaning that I only have to show up for that class on Tuesday and Friday. Wednesday and Thursday I just pop in, see what the topic is, then excuse myself for ASB."

"That seems sinister…even for you Kim. I mean…why kind of honor student would do that?"

"A genius…" I said, closing my eyes and smiling to myself as I felt Lauren shove me. "Plus, on the first week of school, since we start on a Wednesday, I only have one full class of Geography on Friday."

"I still think that's crafty Kim…"

"What can I say? I'm a very crafty lass…"

"So Kim!" Lauren started. By the way she said it, it felt like she wanted to change the topic. "So how are things with Simon Lee?"

"Simon Lee? They're good, I guess…" I said as I looked at my watch. I turned to Lauren and tapped my watch to her, indicated we had to go. We gathered our stuff and started to head to our lockers. "…why do you ask?"

"I don't know…I mean, you two seem to be getting along and…"

"…and?"

"…and I was wondering if you like him." I laughed at the notion.

"Like him? Simon Lee? That nerdy Chinese kid? Why would you think that?" I said as we stopped by my locker first. It was the closest one on our route to our next class.

"Well, you two seem to be getting along rather well. You two sit next to each other and each lunch together, you're always talking about school, I think I also heard you two talk about plans for the weekends." Lauren said as I starting to put my combination in for my locker.

"I'm sorry for trying to be a friend to another boy. I guess talking to other boys automatically means I've taken an interest in them."

"Well you're not as….'rugged' as you were before meeting him."

"What do you mean 'rugged'?" I said turned to her as I opened my locker.

"Uh, Kim. You dropped something."

"Don't change the subject. I'm not 'rugged'. I'm sweet and thoughtful!"

"No, I mean you really dropped something." Lauren said as she pointed to the ground. I wasn't carrying anything in my hands so there was no way it was mine, but when I looked at the ground, I saw a letter with my name on it. Curiosity took over as I knelt down and picked up the letter. Both Lauren and I looked at each other as we stared at the mysterious letter.

"…are you going to open it?"

"I guess so…" I said as I carefully opened the letter and took out the message. I careful unfolded it and started to read.

…and the more I read…

…the more I didn't want Lauren to read it…

…because I won't hear the end of it from her…

"So what does it say?" Lauren asked as she tried to peak around my hand. I quickly brought the letter away from her eyes sight so she couldn't see the writing in it. I also didn't want her to see my face. I knew I was slightly red…but not enough to make her notice.

"I-It's nothing!"

"Like hell it is! Show me!"

"No! It's…it's official ASB business!" I yelled as I folded the letter and stuffed it back in its envelope and started heading to class.

"Sounds like official BS! Kimberly Pine! Come back here!"

"No!" I yelled as I walked fast down the hall.

_I remember what that letter said…funny thing is I still have that letter. It was from Simon Lee…and for lack of better words, what it was…was a love letter. He wanted to meet me at the park near my house around eight on Friday so we can 'talk'. At least that's what it said…along with other flattering words. He always had a way with words…_

…_and I didn't feel disgusted or surprised by the letter…well, I was surprised initially, but the truth was…I felt the same way about him. Only differences is that he had the confidence to do something about it which I kinda just sat there with my feelings. But I had a reason to just sit there. _

_I was scared._

_I didn't know what to do, what to say, what will happen if I were to come out with my feelings…It was like the election all over again. I was going to put my neck on the line once again and if I were to fail…I had no one to blame but myself. Was I ready to take that risk? To open myself to this person that I met just one semester ago? But here, in my hand, was Simon…risking HIS neck on the line…coming out with HIS feelings…_

…_he deserves an answer…_

…_and that's when I knew I wanted to risk…_

"Kim!"

"What?" I said, lost in my thoughts, as I was looking at my reflection in the girl's room on Friday. I followed Lauren, who was holding the door open for me as we made to our next class.

"So…what do you think?" Lauren asked as I shook my head. I ultimately did show her the letter from Simon and since then, she couldn't shut up about it.

"I don't know…"

"Come on! You should do it!" Lauren said, nudging me. "It's one of those things you have to do before you graduate from high school."

"What? Lose my virginity?"

"NO! Get a boyfriend! This is the time where you should be interesting in boys and this guy…this guy is the smartest guy in our class!"

"Hey! I thought you said _I_ was the smartest in the class!" I said, shoving Lauren off to the side.

"You are but…he's just super smart you know? Not like academic…but worldly. He could survive if he was lost in a forest." Lauren said as we approached the classroom we had history together.

"You know, the more I talk to you, the more you act and sound like my parents. And I really don't like my parents…" I warned her as she held the doorknob to the classroom, preparing to open the door at any minute.

"Come on Kim…you know I'm right…" She said to me as I walked over and moved her hand aside from the doorknob. I gripped it myself and turned it, pushing it open and walking through.

"Yeah, but with Simon Lee?" I asked, keeping eye contact with her as I walked through the doorway. But I knew the answer to that question. I knew ever since I found the letter. I just hoped that when eight o' clock rolled around, Simon would be there for my answer.

…_and so…that faithful night…_

"Kim?"

I was at the park at eight, just like the letter said, and I heard my name get called. I turned my head to see a Chinese boy with think black frame glasses. He was looking at me, shocked that I was standing right there waiting for him. He was still in his uniform…I guess so that I could recognize him. But I knew that haircut and glasses combo anywhere. It was Simon. But I think he was having a hard time thinking that I was really…well, me.

"I can't believe it. You're actually here…you…!"

"Shhh." I said to him, looking down at my feet. Now that the moment has come, I felt myself get nervous. And his talking wasn't helping calming myself down. If I blow it here…I don't know what I would do with myself…

"Well, does that mean you…that you…"

I said nothing. I raised my hand and looked at the letter that was almost a ball of paper now. I unwrinkled it, trying to get it back to its normal condition but I knew it was impossible. We both stood there. I felt Simon's gaze on me, expecting that I would at least look up at him to make eye contract. But my sight was fixed on the letter. The letter that was addressed to me

Written about me.

Wanting me.

"Did you mean it?"

"What?" He asked, sounded confused.

"Did you mean what you wrote?" I asked him, finally building up the courage and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Y-yes. But you know…I don't know what I was thinking. I mean a girl like you…and girl like you wouldn't want to be with a guy…a guy like me." I heard him reply as he turned his body away from me. I sensed his hesitance as he started to turn around. I had to make my move. If I didn't, then I would hate myself forever for letter this moment pass. I reached over and grab hold of his St. Joel's sweater. He stopped suddenly, turning his head towards me as I kept eye contact with him.

"…No one has ever paid that much attention to me." I said to him. It was the truth. Throughout my high school career, the only person that has paid attention to me was Lauren…but Simon…he knew paid full attention to me. The things I complained about, the things I loved, what I liked to do on weekends, my hobbies, my strengths, my weaknesses…everything. "Did you mean what you wrote? I repeated myself, wanting a definite answer this time. Simon stared right at me as he leaned in and whispered in my ear…

"Every word."

_That's how I met Simon Lee and how we ended up going out. I told Lauren the next day and she was more excited than I was for me…but soon, we were a couple, and word as gotten around on campus. There wasn't a bit commotion. I figured us getting together wasn't some ground breaking event. But people still talked about it. Two smartest kids getting together? Figures….I think there was more talk about whether or not we kissed yet…and the truth was, we never did. The relationship was slow…like any new relationship, and we were both timid on showing affection to one another. I mean…this is all new to me. I wasn't sure if I should ask if he could kiss me, or if it was ok if I could hold his hand. But the feeling of being wanted by someone…that was more than enough for me. But still…I was reluctant to fully put myself in the relationship…you know, just in case…_

_Our relationship was very stagnant, but I didn't complain. The last thing I wanted was something to distract me from my studies. And Simon was the same way. We did find time to have some alone time, but ultimately it turned into a study session…or a study competition as Lauren like to call it since we were still competing against each other for the better grade. But from my insecurities aside, this was the first time that my life had some meaning…that there was validity in my life now. All thanks to Simon._

_Of course…like all great things…they must come to an end eventually…_

"Hey Kim?"

"For the hundredth time Simon…the answer is forty-two. And it's not because some book told you it was the answer to everything…" I said to him as we were both at the park one sunny afternoon, just lounging around on a picnic blanket.

"No that's not it…I have to tell you something." Simon said, but I just closed my eyes and continued to rest my head on his stomach.

"Mmm? What is it?"

"I'm moving…"

Suddenly, my carefree, relaxed body went cold as I heard those words. My eyes shot open as I stared into the distance.

"O-Oh…I see. Like…a few blocks away or…"

"We're moving out of the neighborhood." Simon said as I felt his arms wrap around me. Sadly I couldn't felt his warmth. It was being zoned out by the shock I was still experiencing.

"Oh…Like…far away that I can still take the bus to see you…?"

"…I'm transferring to a different school."

"…oh…"

"…Kim?"

"…can you just hold me?"

"But I am holding you."

"….hold me tighter…"

_And that was the nail in the coffin. But not all hope was lost…after I came to terms with his move, we came to a settlement. Neither one of us wanted the relationship to end…and we didn't want to say the final good-bye, so in the last ditch effort t save the relationship, we decided to do long distance._

_It was nice…I guess. I mean, the letters he sends me every week are just as flattering as the first letter he put in my locker…but it's not the same. I wanted him here…I needed him here…_

…_and with his absence, I found the courage to fully put myself in the relationship…to take the risk of exposing myself to someone…to find the courage to stand up for someone I care about…_

…_to kiss the person I liked…_

* * *

…_but like I said, the universe has a plan for us all and it's constantly working… _

"New kid…Uhh, you're with Kimberly, okay?" I heard the teacher say as I looked up instinctively as I heard my name get called. My vision of the teacher got blocked by a guy with light brown hair. He moved to the empty seat next to me and placed his backpack down on the shared table.

"Hi." I said to him as he approached.

"Hi. What are we doing?" He asked as I closed my notebook.

"It's some retarded partner thing, and you'll probably slack right off and I'll end up doing all the work."

…_making sure that you end up exactly where you're supposed to be, exactly when you're supposed to be there…_

"Uhh…nice to meet you. I'm Scott."

"The pleasure's all mine."

…_the right place, at the right time._

* * *

To Be Continued

**HAPPY NEW YEAR FF.N and to all my readers! **I hope this chapter is the start of something amazing as from now on, we start going OFF BOOK and actually start writing my own scenarios for Scott, Kim, and Lisa up to the point where Scott and Kim finally get together. Also, there is a **POLL** on my profile. Please go check it out!

Hopefully 2011 will be an awesome year for all and I'll see you guys in the future!

~Voice4TheMute 1/1/2011

Until Next Time…!


	4. Leave it to Faith a

Disclaimer: I do not own the Scott Pilgrim series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters and lines belong to Bryan Lee O'Malley and other respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.

**This is a work of fiction, any similarity or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.**

* * *

_**Voice4TheMute Presents**_

_Relationships…they're not for the faint of heart. They ask a lot out of you: time, money, devotion, trust, your soul…it's hard to believe that this simple human desire to connect with someone else can cause so many problems. It makes me wonder if it's better to be alone than deal with all the drama and heartache that being in a relationship will bring._

…_but if I say that, then I'm just lying to myself…_

_No one wants to be alone. Crazy old cat ladies have their cats, crazy old dog guys have their dogs…hell, that one movie with the guy stuck on the island had someone, and he had to make him up! I guess as human beings, our natural instinct is not to be alone. We're always trying to find ways to talk to someone. Anyone. No matter what the cost is. Maybe relationships are worth the trouble…_

…_only question is…is the relationship I'M in worth the trouble?_

_**A story based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim"**_

"You ok there Kim?"

"Huh?" My head perked up as I heard my friend Lauren talk to me. We were in the lunchroom and apparently, I was staring at my food for the last five minutes. "Oh, sorry Lauren. Sometimes there is an inner monolog that runs through my head."

"…inner monolog? Weirdo…" She said as eat continued to eat her mash potatoes. I shot her a glare as I picked up my sandwich and took a bite out of it. "So what is this project you have to do for geography?" Lauren asked.

"It's some stupid two person project. I got stuck with the new kid doing a report about Russia." I said, placing my sandwich down and picking up my can of soda.

"New kid? You mean Lisa Miller?"

"Huh? Lisa who? No. The new kid. Scott Pilgrim." I said to her but she looked at me completely lost.

"We have two new kids this year? Huh…Dean Thomas gave me one new girl to show around. Never mentioned about a guy. Is he cute?"

"I wouldn't know…I'm taken remember?" I said to her as she raised an eyebrow at me. "…what?"

"Kim. I love you. I love Simon. But do you really think this long distance thing is going to work out?" Lauren asked as I felt something eating away at the bottom of my stomach. And it wasn't hunger.

"Sure. I mean…he sends me letters from time to time and it's not like he hasn't tried to come see me. He's just been really busy so…"

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"…since he left…"

"And the last letter he sent?"

"…the first day of school this semester." I painfully admitted. This wasn't the first time these realization came across my mind. In fact, I've been counting the days. So far, it's been over a month now. No letters, no contacts, not even a phone call. Was he really that busy? Or was I pretending in my mind he was busy so that I don't come to the realization that he doesn't care anymore?

"Ouch…sorry to hear that Kimmy…"

"…don't call me Kimmy."

"Maybe it's because he hasn't seen you in awhile. You know how guys are. Out of sight, out of mind, right?" Lauren said to me as I thought about it.

"I guess you're right. Guys do have a small attention span. Maybe I should give him a call? Or maybe I should go up to see….oh crap." I stopped my sentence short as I saw a tall, blond hair guy walked up to the corner table that Lauren and I were sitting at. I recognized him…he was our school's quarterback afterall.

"Hey Kim. Long time."

"Long time Clark…" I said to him as I looked at him straight in the eyes. I could feel Lauren dart back and forth between the two. But I paid no real attention her. My attention was on Clark.

"So…how are you?"

"Good" I said to him bluntly.

"Still a girl of few words huh. You've always been like that." He said as he uninviting sat down at our table. "Hey Lauren. Still hanging around with this girl?" He said as Lauren mindlessly said hello to him. I never understood Clark Esteed. He was the quarterback for the football team and the face for the school. He is rumored to run for president next year when he's a senior…but who knows? What I do know is why he is here…

"So Kim? …what are you doing Friday-"

"NOT going out with you Clark." I said as both Lauren and Clark had the same expression on their face: disbelief.

"What? Why?" Clark asked as I glared at him.

"Because I have a boyfriend. Remember? Simon Lee?" I said to him as he rested his head on his hands and he continued to stare at me.

"Kim. He's a Benvie Tech boy now. You know as well as I do that they're our rivals. Are you fornicating with the enemy?"

"I'm not 'fornicating' with anyone Clark! Now get out of here. I don't remember inviting you to our table and I believe you overstayed your welcome." I bitterly said to him as he slowly got up.

"Alright! Alright! I'm going…but Simon's gone Kim. And if you need to talk to someone about-"

"I'll be fine Clark, now get out of here." I said to him as I saw him walk away. I sighed as I plopped my head down on the table. I felt Lauren move over and placed a hand on my back.

"You ok Kim? I'm sure he didn't mean any harm. He's always like that." Lauren said as she patted me on the back. "Kinda hard to believe that he was once one of our closest friends, huh?"

"More like a sick, twisted joke." I muttered into the table.

"…and that Alice use to be your best friend."

"Don't remind me…"

_**Life at St. Joel's 011: Leave it to Faith (a)**_

"Hey Scott?"

"Hey?"

"Why did your parents move here to Northern Ontario?" I asked Scott as we sat in the library, a scatter of books all across our shared table.

"Hmm?" Scott looked at me before looking upwards towards the ceiling. "Um…I think my dad got a job here. Or was it my mom? Either way, we moved here because of work related stuff…I guess."

"You guess? How do you not know why you moved?" I asked, now questioning his memory…maybe even his sanity.

"I don't know. I guess I never paid attention to that kind of thing. I just go where my parents move me."

"Your perception of the obvious is admirable." I said to him as we hear the bell ring, indicating that our free period was over. Both Scott and I looked at each other as we both realized that we got no research done.

"Oh wow. Period is over." Scott said as he looked at all the books. "And we didn't even get any notes out of the books we took out."

"I'll ask the librarian to save these the next time we come back. We shouldn't fret though. We don't have a lot to do since we've been working on it since the beginning. Sucks to be those kids who procrastinated up 'til now." I said to him, but more amazed that this entire time, we did nothing but talk about each other. We didn't discuss what part of the project we were going to work on, what book we should look at first, or mention anything about the project in general. As soon as we got the books we needed, we sat down and started talking about….us. "Time flies when you're getting to know someone I guess."

"Yeah, no kidding." Scott said as I saw him watch me pick up all of our unopened books. "Do you need help with that?"

"No, I got it. So what class do you have next?"

"Math. It's been a month, and I swear, if there are any more letters in those stupid equations then I could swear I'm in English class." Scott joked as a laughed at his stupid statement.

"Well, if you need help, I can help you out. Math is one of my strongest points…" I said, trying not to brag, but it really was a strong point for me. Math and science. English was fine, but hated writing those long essays. If there was a chance to show off my intellect, it was through math and science.

"Awesome. Do you think you can help me after school? Maybe we can actually work on the project as well?" Scott asked as I was taken back a bit. No one, and I mean no one, has ever asked for my help in terms of school. Not even Simon Lee. But then again he was smart to begin with…and too stubborn or accept my help to begin with.

"You're asking for my help?"

"Well, you offered, right?"

"Yeah, but I never expected anyone to call me on it." I admitted. I felt embarrassed, as if a spotlight was on me. "Do you really want my help?"

"Um…well, sure? I mean, I do need the help. And it wouldn't hurt to study with a friend, right?" Scott asked as I looked into his eyes. There were no ulterior motives in his statement, or underlining themes in it. It was an honest plea for help.

"Sure." I finally said to him. "But I can't do it directly after school. I have a meeting with…stuff." I said to him, almost letting it slip out.

"Meeting with what?"

"It's nothing ok? Just…meet me at the park near the school at five, alright? By the fountain." I said to him as I picked up all the books and hurried away from the table and away from Scott.

I wasn't sure why I was rushing out of there. Maybe it's because our next class started in two minutes…maybe I was still flustered that Scott actually wanted my help…

…or maybe it was because I just asked someone out even though I'm with someone right now…

* * *

_As so…five o' clock rolled around…_

"Hey Kim!" Scott waved as I was walking towards the park fountain. I waved back at him as we stood face to face. "So, can you help me with math?"

"Yeah yeah…but first, let's get something to eat. I'm starving. Plus my arms are a bit sore…" I said as I started to rub my arms. Scott raised an eyebrow at this.

"Um…why are you arms hurting?"

"I play drums for the school band." I instantly responded, but then realized that I didn't want people to know that. "I mean I…!"

"You play drums for the school band?" Scott said, rather surprised, but I leaped and covered his mouth with my hand.

"Shh! I don't want people to know that ok!" I said to him. I realized I just closed his mouth with my hand. I retracted my hand and wiped it on my skirt, a little disturbed that I did that, but could care less right now. "Yes, I play drums for the school band. I'm not good either. I kinda picked it up last year when I was stressed and it kinda…grew on me." I admitted to him. I wasn't sure why I was admitting it to him either…my friend Lauren doesn't even know I play drums. "Unfeminine I know…"

"…who cares? That's cool!" Scott said to me, a little more enthusiastic that I expected.

"Really?"

"Totally. A girl drummer? That's pretty cool." Scott said as I felt my face turn red with embarrassment.

"Oh…cool. W-w-well shall we go get something to eat?" I asked as I turned around and started to walk.

"Sure, but where? I don't have a lot of money."

"Don't worry, I know a place." I said to him as we walked out of the park and down the sidewalk.

"So do you like playing the drums?" Scott asked as we walked side-by-side.

"Surprisingly, I do. It's very calming for a very violent instrument. I mean, the band is relying on the drums to keep them all together. There is a lot of responsibility for the drums that most people don't appreciate. I guess it suits me now that I think about it. A lot of responsibility that people don't appreciate." I said but I felt Scott bump up against me.

"Hey, don't say that. I appreciate you and your responsibilities."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." I said, looking over at him.

"Yeah…but someone has to say it, right?" He said as he looked at me with a smile.

"…thanks Scott." I said to him, feeling a little bit better. We finally came to our designation and Scott looked at the place then back at me.

"Old Santos'?" Scott read the sign as I walked inside. It was a small bakery shop that I always come to when I wanted a snack after school. I haven't been here in awhile since joining ASB and the school band, but whenever I had the chance, or the money, I would come here and enjoy a chocolate donut. Plus the cashier is the owner of the place and he likes to give me discounts for being a frequent customer.

"That's right." I said to Scott before turning to Frank, the owner and the person behind the cash register. "Hey Frank."

"Hey Kim. Who's your friend?" Frank said to me as I looked at Scott then back at him.

"He's Scott. He's with me."

"So you'll have the regular then?" He asked as I nodded. I looked over at Scott and saw him staring at the donuts with a bit of drool coming out of his mouth. I took a long sigh as I spoke up t him. "Do you want one Scott?" His head instantly shot up.

"Really? You mean it Kim?" He said to me. I had brilliant idea. One that would guarantee me more visits to my favorite snack spot. "Yeah. I'll buy you this round if you get the next." I said to him as I reached into my bag and gave Frank the money for the two donuts.

"Thanks Kim. I owe you one." Scott said as he came up to me and took his donut. "Do you always come here?"

"Every once in awhile. My life has gotten bit busy so I don't come here as often…but when I do…" I started as I took a bite out my donut. "…I'm so glad I did…"

"So…about the project? Or the math?"

"The what?" I said, snapping out of my donut trance to remember that the reason we're out here wasn't to hang out, but Scott needed help. Wasn't sure why it slipped my mind, and truthfully, I was worried that it slipped my mind. "Oh, right. Um…tomorrow is Friday right? All we need to finish is the map of Russia. We can do that in class. How about that?"

"I'm fine with that."

"And math, when do you have math class."

"Monday through Thursday."

"…so you don't have it tomorrow?"

"…no."

"Then why did you ask for help!" I yelled at him as he crunched up in defense, as if I was going to hit him.

"I don't know…!" He said as I calmed down and took another bite out of my very calming donut. "…maybe I just wanted an excuse to hang out with you some more." I heard Scott say to me. I didn't say anything back.

I was too embarrassed to say something back.

"This is pretty cool place. I think I'll bring Lisa here sometime." Scott said which instantly snapped my attention to him as he said it.

"What?"

"Oh. Have you met Lisa Miller? She's a new student as well. She's one of my friends…well…I guess my first friend or something. My girlfriend? No. Friend who is a girl. Yeah…she's really cool and she can play the bass guitar and…" The more Scott described this mystery girl to me, the more I felt my heart sink. It as painful to hear for more than one reason.

"Scott, if you're not going to eat that…" I cut him off and pointed at this donut. Scott immediately stopped and looked at his donut.

"Oh yeah!" He yelled as he continued to eat. I felt uneasy.

_This other girl…who was she? At least who is she in terms of Scott? Lisa Miller…wasn't that the same girl that Lauren escorted? Maybe she'll know something. Wait…why do I care? I shouldn't care who this girl is to Scott. I mean…I shouldn't care…_

…_right…?_

* * *

"You suck at drawing, don't you?" I asked him, pulling the map of Russia towards me so I can try to fix his side. We were in class the next day working on our projects that were due Monday and the faster we got this finished, the faster I can stop worrying about it. I left Scott in charge of drawing Russia while I put together the entire report, but five minutes in, I'm already regretting my decision.

"Maps are hard! I could draw it really good if it was a sheep." Scott argued. I glared at him.

"A sheep? Are you serious? Draw me a sheep!" Scott pulled out a clean sheet of paper and proceeded to draw his sheep. Halfway through his drawing he stopped, pondered for a second, and then turned to me.

"I forget, do sheep have curly tails, or is that pigs?"

"That's the worst sheep I've ever seen!" I said, but not angrily, laughingly. It was the ugliest sheep I've ever seen, but I can't help but smile as his stupid drawing.

"What are you talking about? This is such a good sheep!" He said as I continued to fix the drawing of Russia. There was a pause between us. Neither of us said anything. Maybe he was working on another map, I didn't know. What I did know was the battle that was raging inside me. I don't despise the guy…which says a lot. I haven't felt this way towards another guy since…

"You hang out with that girl Lisa all the time, eh?" I asked him, holding my pencil getting ready to throw it in the air.

"I guess."

"Are you guys, like, going out?" I asked, tossing my pencil in the air. Without looking, I caught it back in my hand.

"Me and Lisa? No. We're just friends." Scott said, almost defensively.

"Oh…"

"…why do you ask?"

It was a legit question to ask. I mean, I would ask the same thing if someone asked me a personal question like that. I started tapping my pencil on the desk in a rhythmic beat and started moving my foot up and down as if I was hitting my bass peddle on the drums.

"Oh…just curious I guess. You were talking about her non-stop yesterday I kinda just assumed." I said, unaware of my drumming as Scott seemed to have noticed as soon as I started.

"That's some beat you got going. Is that something you came up with?" Scott asked as he pointed at my hand which was tapping away. I instantly stopped and looked down at my hand then back at him.

"Sorry about that. I guess it's slowly becoming instinctually. Whenever I get nervous I just start tapping." I said as I firmly gripped my pencil. "That beat was for the band. We're actually holding a small concert for those who want to listen during lunch. Kinda like a small recruitment show for those who are interested in joining." I said to him, in a scripted line that I've been telling people to get publicity up. What came next was not scripted. "You should come see me in action." My eyes widen as I heard myself unconsciously say that. Did I, again, ask Scott out in a small, little date? But somehow Scott didn't see it like that. In fact, by the looks of it, he was excited.

"Really? You're performing today? That's awesome!"

"B-b-but we're not that good!"

"Well, are you good?"

"I can't complain, but I guess I'm good."

"Then I'll definitely be there!" Scott said happily as my wide eye expression got even wider.

_Oh God, why is this happening to me? Now not only do I have to worry about this stupid project to be finish, I have to make sure I don't screw up my part during the concert AND Scott's going to be watching me, judging me as a drummer. Crap! Not only that…! _

…_Simon…_

…_gah! What do I do! Why do I have to go and make things so complicated? _

…_now that damn song is stuck in my head!_

"Well, I guess I should throw this sheep away…" Scott said as I reached and planted my hand on the picture.

"Wait. You don't have to throw it away." I said to him as he picked it up and looked at it.

"I guess you're right…maybe I'll keep it. It's a pretty darn good sheep, right?" Scott said to me, but I knew he was luring me into a trap to like his stupid picture.

"That's a trap. I know that's a trap." I said to him as he laughed.

"Well, can't say I didn't try." Scott said, safely tucking the picture of his sheep away before looking at his picture of Russia. I saw his eyes trail to his poorly drawn map and sighed.

"Come on…let's fix this monstrosity that you call a map of Russia…"

* * *

It was lunch time and I was sitting behind the school drum set, almost ready to perform to the student body who were interested in the school band. At a glance, I saw a few familiar faces, not so far no sign of Scott which gave me a sigh of relief. With me was the pride and joy of St. Joel's Catholic High School, the school band. Consisting of all sorts of stringed, wind, and brass instruments, this was by far the largest collection of random people you'll ever see. And I was a part of it…why?

"Kim? I didn't know you were in the school band!" Lauren said, somehow backstage where no one but faculty and band mates can be.

"Lauren!" I whispered, "You're not supposed to be back here!"

"Why are you in the band?"

"…you know how you said that I should find a way to beat out my frustration?"

"So you picked beating it out on the school drum set? You know half of these people are…bad." She whispered as I looked over at the rest of the band. Within the first ten seconds I saw people disassembling their flutes, removing strings from their violins, and using their clarinets to scratch their backs.

"…I like playing the drums ok? It kinda grew on me. Now go away before you get us both in trouble!"

"Fine fine. Just do your best. That cute guy over there is checking you out."

I looked at where Lauren's finger was pointed to see Scott Pilgrim staring rather intently at me. Suddenly, I started to get nervous again…and fast. "If you think he's cute I'll introduce him to you. Just get lost!" I said to her, trying to shoo her away as I saw her duck down. The instructor walked to the podium and faced towards the crowd.

"Thank you for coming to see us…" He started, expecting to receive a warm welcome to the student body. Instead, he got silence. "I er…it is my honor to conduct St. Joel's Catholic High School's pride and joy, the St. Joel's school band!"

Again…silence.

"Uh…Kimberly? Will you please?" He pleaded.

"We are St. Joel's Catholic High School band. One. Two. Three. Four…"

As we started to play, I could feel my nerves calm down as I continued to play my part which I practiced over and over during rehearsal. But I kept feeling on edge. I could feel Scott's eyes on me…judging me…evaluating me…watching me…paying attention to me…

…here for me…

I felt my hand hit the cymbals too early but I don't think anyone was paying close attention. Not one messed up because of me so I kept playing. But in the back of my mind, the reason Scott was here…was to watch me play. It made me feel good…made me feel wanted…made me feel important…

…I never felt like this when I was with Simon…

…what should I do?

* * *

"Hey Scott." I said as he turned to see me. It was after school and Lauren was bugging me non-stop after I 'promise' to introduce her to Scott so I reluctantly brought her along so that she can finally meet him.

"Oh, hi. Um, yeah, so, presentation on Monday, right?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, it'll be fine." I said, trying to get him to relax a little. Ever since we met and after the sheep incident, it's always been about the project. I saw Scott's eyes dart from me to Lauren then back at me. I suddenly remembered that she was, indeed, standing right next to me.

"Oh, this is Lauren. Lauren, Scott. We have geography together." I said, pointing to my friend.

"Hello."

There was a moment of silence. The way she was looking at him…the way he was looking at her. It didn't feel right to me. But why would I care who he looks at. I mean, I'm not his keeper or anything. And I definitely don't care who he looks at. Besides…I have a boyfriend…right?

"So I'll see you on Monday, okay? First period!" I said as I dragged my drooling friend away from him and lead her down the hall.

"Yeah for sure!" He called back, waving.

"What's that about Kim? Are you jealous?" Lauren asked me as I tugged her along.

"I'm not jealous…"

"Well you shouldn't be. You have Simon."

"…about that…" I started before being stopped abruptly by Lauren's tug on my arm. "Ow. What?"

"You're two-timing Simon!" Lauren yelled, with a decently loud voice as some people started to look at us.

"No! No! I'm not two-timing anyone!" I yelled, trying to get the people to stop looking at us. They started to look away for us as I turned to Lauren. "I'm not two-timing him…I just…having second thoughts about my relationship." Lauren didn't respond right away. I think she was in shock.

"You're thinking about breaking up with Simon? He's…like…you're first boyfriend."

"I know! I know! But…I guess…it's time. We haven't seen each other in a long time and with Scott…I actually feel like I'm in a relationship. I actually feel…wanted." I said to her, expecting her to understand what I mean…but she didn't.

"Um…I don't know what you mean." She said to me as wrapped an arm around me and gave me a light squeeze. "But whatever you decide to do, I'll support you one hundred percent. Whether it's to break up with Simon or not…maybe if you decide to two-time on him…"

"I'm not going to two-time him…"

"…I'll support you no matter what." Lauren said as I smiled a bit.

"Thanks Lauren."

"So when are you going to do it?" She asked me as I started to look through my backpack for something. But when I realize I couldn't find it, I turned to her.

"Hey Lauren, can I borrow a coin?"

"A coin?" She said, slightly confused. "Are you…are you going to decide when to break up with him with a coin flip?" She said as she reached into her bag and took out a coin. She hurled it to me as I caught it with one hand.

"A wise man once told me 'when pitted with a decision, a coin flip will reveal the truth'." I said to her as I placed the coin on top of my index finger with my thumb tucked beneath it.

"What decision?"

"Well…I could do it today or on Monday. My weekend is way too busy to worry about this kind of thing. I'm sure Simon is the same way. I want to make sure I do this in person…it wouldn't be right any other way." I said to her as I look at the coin.

"So you're going to let this life-changing decision fall on a coin flip? You're going to let chance decide for you?"

"Chance?" I asked, looking at Lauren before flipping the coin up in the air. I watched it as it flipped and caught it, placing it on the back of my hand. I stared at the hand that was covering the coin and took a deep breath before lifting it up so that only I could see it.

"…I like to think I'm leaving it up to faith to decide."

* * *

To Be Continued

Sorry for the LONG absence. Just been busy going other things before school starts again. This is one of a possible three part series which will obviously cover how Scott and Kim got together. So stay tuned! The next part is another Kim POV so for all the Kim fans….yay! For the other fans…boo! Also, I acknowledge that this chapter is lacking…ok, does not have, Lisa Miller and I apologize for that. I think in this part of the book, Kim has never met Lisa so…nothing much I can do. Haha…well…please review with feedback! And of course…

…until next time!

~Voice4TheMute


	5. Leave it to Faith b

Disclaimer: I do not own the Scott Pilgrim series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters and lines belong to Bryan Lee O'Malley and other respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.

**This is a work of fiction, any similarity or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.**

* * *

_Voice4TheMute Presents_

_Saturday_

_How in the world did this happen…? I could have sworn I was farther ahead than this. I mean…I've known him the longest, right? Maybe it's nothing serious. Maybe it's just something small. I mean, he just MET her! I've known him since…the beginning of school. I guess I'm just overreacting…_

…_I hope I'm overreacting…_

"What are you looking for Scott?" I asked as we were sitting underneath a tree at the park near his house. Scott was frantically searching his pockets for something.

"I have this cool thing I wanted to show you."

"What was it?"

"It's cool. It's a trick coin that has heads on both sides." Scott said as he dug deeper into his pockets. Finally, he pulled out the coin he was talking about.

"Really? I had a trick coin once, but I think I lost it…I know I had one in my backpack but it kinda disappeared." I said to him as I saw him flip it in the air and catch it, revealing heads facing up. He then flipped it over and it showed heads again on the other side.

"Who gave it to you?" I asked.

"You know…I'm not sure. I just had in my pocket one day…"

_A story based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim"_

_

* * *

_

_Yesterday…_

"I don't want to do it…" Scott said to me as we stood outside the double doors that leads to the cafeteria.

"Will you man up? I'm telling you, this is a sure fire way to get noticed." I said to him, nudging him with my elbow but not too hard…afterall I was trying to keep my tray of food leveled.

"But what if it doesn't work?"

"It'll work. Trust me." I said to him as I heard Scott take a deep breath and slowly letting it out.

"It's kinda hard to see…"

"Will you stop complaining?" I scoffed at him.

"Alright. Let's do this then." He said as he and I pushed the double doors open and began to walk in and head to our table in the middle of the cafeteria. It was if time slowed down as we walked. Each step was taking at least a minute and half to take, the eyes of our fellow peers were all gazing at us, heads were turning as we past them by, but what was awesome…was the fact that everyone was paying attention to us as if we were one of the most important people in the room.

It felt great.

Now the reality was that Scott and I were actually walking really slowly. Time didn't slow down for us. Hell, if anything time sped up. But the reason for us walking slowly was because we had one thing that separated us from the lemmings that were eating lunch in the cafeteria: we had sunglasses on.

"Did you see that Scott? People are looking at us!" I said, rather excited that my plan worked. I removed my sunglasses and hooked them on front of my sweater.

"I don't know. I could barely see a thing." Scott said he took of his sunglasses and just placed them on the table. He rubbed his eyes for a few seconds before opening his bagged lunch and pulled out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Come on Scott. For a whole two minutes, people were looking at us…as if we were…" I started before looking upwards towards the ceiling for dramatic effect. "…cool!"

"Wait…are you telling me that we aren't?" Scott asked before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"Scott…you're hanging out with the girl that single-handedly embarrassed the most popular and probably the most powerful girl in school. I'm already down the social ladder and by hanging out with me, you're down there with me." I said, wagging my fork at him before scoping some vegetables and placing them in my mouth. "Plus you're notorious for starting fights…especially with the Brusiers."

"Maybe if they stop picking fights with me I won't have to beat them all the time…"

"Last time I checked, they got you pretty good last time." I reminded him as he shook he head.

"That doesn't count. I was washing my hands. I mean…who attacks in the bathroom? That's like…home base in tag. You just don't do that." Scott said as he took out a small carton of milk from his bagged lunch. "Why do you want to be popular anyways? I thought you hated those girls…" Scott said as he motioned towards the table where Alice, Michelle, and Britney sat. I shivered at his question.

"I don't want to be popular…just cool!"

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No. You could be popular, but be known as a bitch. Kinda like Alice. I want to be on the other side of that spectrum. Popular…but awesome. Maybe not popular where you have your own posse…but well known enough that people aren't afraid to talk to you. You know what I mean?" I asked him as he shook his head.

"No idea…"

"Well…whatever! That's what I want."

"Why?"

"I just…I…" I stammered. I wasn't sure how to answer that. I know I wanted to be cool…but why? "I…I don't know. Who doesn't want to be liked?" I asked back as he shrugged.

"I don't know. Loners I guess?" Scott said as he looked at the sunglasses. "But why sunglasses? I mean…we could have made cookies and gave them to people. Wouldn't that be cool?" Scott asked as a laughed at his idea.

"Bribing them with baked goods? Nah. That's not cool. Sunglasses are cool. They're always cool. " I said to him as I took my shades and opened them up.

"I still think that we should have made cookies…" Scott muttered out loud.

"Yeah? Well…that's the way…" I started, putting my sunglasses back on my face. "…the cookie crumbles."

_Life at St. Joel's 011b: Leave it to Faith_

"Why are you eating so fast?" I asked as I noticed that he was scarffing down his lunch in a much faster pace than what I'm use to seeing.

"I have to see my friend play in the school band." Scott said. I raised an eyebrow at this statement.

"Whoa whoa whoa…wait, you have a friend other than me?" I said, trying to sound insulted. But Scott took his napkins and threw it at me, immediately calling out my bluff. "Who do you know in the school band?"

"Her name is Kim Pine. She plays the drums."

"She plays the drums? Are you serious? We need a drummer for our band!" I said, very excited about this twist in events. Not that the drummer we have right now is bad or anything...but…

_Last night at band practice_

"Wait wait…stop. Something's not right." I said to Scott as we stopped playing abruptly. Scott looked at me, a bit confused as he released the neck of his guitar.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked as I brought my hand to my chin and started to rub it.

"I don't know…something doesn't sound right. Are you playing the right chords?" I asked him as he looked over at his sheet and picked it up.

"I…I think I am. I mean, these are simple cords."

"I think I'm playing the right notes…" I muttered to myself as I look my own sheet of music and then back at the bass guitar. Both Scott and I were puzzled as we kept looking at our music sheets then back at each other.

"You know what the problem is…?" We heard a voice coming from our drum player. Both Scott and I look at the person behind the drum set and raised an eyebrow.

"…what's the problem?"

"Maybe you should get someone that KNOWS HOW TO PLAY THE DRUMS!" Stacy Pilgrim yelled as she threw the drum sticks on the ground, got up, and left the garage that we were practicing in.

"…maybe it wasn't a good idea to get your sister to play drums afterall Scott." I said to him as he shrugged.

"I don't think it's that hard to learn…"

"Scott…she's only twelve years old!"

"…still don't think it's hard to learn…" He said, looking away from me. I sighed as I looked at the empty spot for our drummer. "We really need to find a drummer, don't we?" I nodded as I walked over and sat in the drummer's seat.

"Until then…Sonic and Knuckles can't take off…" I crossed my arms and sighed.

_Back to Lunch_

"So do you wanna go see her? I mean, it'll be good if we both see her and judge her talents." Scott said to me. It didn't take a rocket scientist to predict my answer.

"Of course you idiot! If she's any good then this will be our big break! We'll shoot our class status and become automatically cool!" I said to him as he placed his fork down.

"I still think I'm a jock…"

"Right. Well, give me a sec. I'm going to get myself a drink." I said as I got up and walked towards the vending machine. I got the usual stares as I past by certain tables, mostly from Alice's table and some from the jock table, but occasionally I felt that someone else was watching me…or studying me. I wasn't sure, but it did feel like I was being watched. As I got to the vending machine, I saw a familiar person standing in front of the soda machine.

"Hey Lauren. Good to see you again." I greeted as she turned around and waved.

"Hello…Lisa right? How are you? How's St. Joel's treating you?" She asked as she took a step back so I can use the machine.

"Eh, not the greatest start in the world…but I'll manage. How about you? How's the associated body or whatever." I said as I mindlessly started to put coins into the machine.

"It's good. I think we'll finally get a working tampon dispenser in the girl's bathroom. If you ask me, that's a major feat for the school." Lauren said as I laughed.

"It's about time. Not that I use theirs, but you know…it's good to know that the dispensers will work if the time comes…" I said as I looked at how much I already inputted in the vending machine. "Oh shoot…that's what I get for not paying attention." I said as I made my selection and bend down to get my soda. "Well, I gotta get going." I said to her as I reached down and picked up my drink. "I'll see you around."

"Alright. Bye Lisa. Take care." I heard Lauren say to me as I walked away. "Wait Lisa! You left some change here!" She yelled at me but I waved the back of my hand at her.

"Keep the change. It's ok." I said as I continued to walk back to the table. "Ready to go Scott?" I said to him as he got up.

"Yup. Let's go. It's in the auditorium. Come on." Scott said as I followed right behind him.

* * *

"Thank you for coming to see us…" I heard the conductor say to us as a good portion of the school was at the auditorium. It was a miracle that Scott and I found two seats side by side. Truthfully, I didn't think anyone would be this interested in watching the school band…but I guess I was wrong. But this means something else. If these people are this desperate to listen to music, then our band will completely rock their socks off! As the conductor greeted the student body, I was expecting people to start clapping or cheering…

…it never came…

"I er…it is my honor to conduct St. Joel's Catholic High School's pride and joy, the St. Joel's school band!"

Again…silence.

"Uh…Kimberly? Will you please?" I heard him say to someone in the band. Just then, I heard a girl's voice echo in the auditorium. She wasn't enthusiastic, but definitely loud enough to hear.

"We are St. Joel's Catholic High School band. One. Two. Three. Four…" The drummer said as she tapped her drum sticks with her counting before starting the band off with their first song. As first, I wasn't impressed. The first song they were playing was the school battle song…and if you were brain dead whenever the PA came on, then you'll definitely not be familiar with the tune…since a small section of the song plays before there is an announcement. Also, it would seem half of the band were either playing the wrong notes or were an octave off. It wasn't bad…but it was noticeable. The only thing that seems right, hell, good, was the drummer. She got my toe to tap and my head to bob so that definitely means something.

"Hey, that girl- that's the girl from my geography class." Scott said to me as I began to scan the band.

"What? Which one? There's like two zillion girls up there, dude."

"On drums." Scott said as I looked at the drummer.

_That's right…Scott said something about the drummer. One of his friends? A project partner? Damn…why can't I remember? All I remember is hearing 'drummer' and my mind instantly went to our band…_

"She totally can play." There was no arguing with Scott there. She was able to hold a beat plus she was able to throw in a few new beats in the original song with made it very catchy. The only thing that bothered me was how…plain she looked. No makeup, no nail polish, just a green scrunchie in her hair.

"She totally is hitting those drums with those sticks, yeah." I said as I looked back at her. "Well…it'll get her some eyeliner." I said, figuring that'll get me over on how plain she looks. But there was something else that was bothering me. Every once in a while she would turn and look at the crowd. Now don't get me wrong…it was nice that she can hold a beat and acknowledge the crowd…in fact, that's a plus…but when she was looking out to the crowd, she would look in our general direction…

…as if she was playing specifically for someone…

* * *

"Hey Scott!" I yelled as I approached him after school. He was still at his locker putting his books away and taking what he needed for homework for the weekend. "Are you ready for practice?"

"Practice? I don't know if my sister wants to drum again. She seemed kinda peeved last time…" Scott said, scratching his head.

"Well, we can still practice our parts. I mean, we're not exactly good at keeping time with one another. And you're still pretty bad at the guitar." I pointed out as he closed his locker hard.

"The guitar is hard. I would totally be better at playing the bass. And the drums will take me some time to get use to. Hand-eye coordination isn't exactly spot-on yet." Scott said as he moved his hand upward in the air and moved it around, trying to gesture his hand-eye coordination to me. I raised my hand and brought his arm down so he doesn't further embarrass himself in the hallway.

"Well maybe we'll switch one day. I'll let you play the bass, but not now." I said to him as I saw him search his pockets for something. "What are you doing?"

"I'm thirsty…" Scott said as he turned to look behind him. I also leaned to my right to see what he was looking at. Further down the hall was what looked like Lauren and another girl flipping a coin in the air. "I'll be right back. I'm going to ask Kim if I can have change." He said as she started to jog towards them.

"Hey! Wait! I have change…!" I said as I reached into my bag for coins, but then remembered that I gave my change to Lauren.

_Huh…I guess that's kinda ironic…_ I thought to myself as Scott approached the two girls. At first, they were startled that Scott was there…as if they didn't expect him to be there. But then I saw him start talking to what I assume was Kim. At first, it seemed like a normal conversation between friends. But the way she was looking at him…and the way he was looking at her…it didn't feel right. I don't know what it was…but it didn't feel right to me. After what seemed like ten minutes, Scott finally started to walk back towards me.

"Took your sweet time…" I said, a little bitter that he made me wait.

"Sorry. Just talking to Kim about our project that we have to present on Monday." He said as we both started to head to the vending machines.

"You mean your geography project? I thought you didn't have it on Mondays. Just Tuesdays to Thursdays." I said, looking at him.

"Yeah, but due to Kim's duties as ASB junior representative, we can't present on Tuesday. And our teacher is very strict about schedules. So we have to present on Monday…" Scott sighed.

"That's tough. Sorry to hear that." I said as we continued to walk in silence. I wanted to talk to him about Kim, though. I mean…things didn't add up. He meets this girl, becomes interested in watching her play, and starts asking her for money. Maybe I'm just overreacting. I mean…friends do that for each other. Plus I told him that we needed a drum player for our band. Maybe he's looking out for the band? Yeah. That must be it. I mean there's no way, NO WAY, that he likes her.

…no way…

* * *

_Saturday_

"So this is where you ran off to Scott." I said to him as I found him sitting under a tree at the park. We just finished band practice and Scott said that he wanted to get some fresh air. I agreed with his wilderness sabbatical idea so we walked to the park together. As soon as we got there, Scott walked off by himself when I had my back turned. I found it kinda odd that he would do that without saying anything so I looked around for him, which lead me to this spot.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Lisa. I was just thinking to myself." He said as I stood next to him.

"Do you want to be left alone?" I asked him as he shook his head. He scooted over and I sat down next to him.

"So what's on your mind?"

"I think I like her."

"What?"

"Kim P."

"You like her like her? You barely even know her!" I blurted out.

"Uhh…I mean, I'd _like her_ to join our band."

"Did you ask her yet?"

"I'll ask her on Monday."

_How in the world did this happen…?_

_

* * *

_

To Be Continued…

It isn't much, but it's something right? Just wanted to get a chapter that wasn't in Kim's POV. Anywho, thank you for reading and please review. Thanks a lot!


	6. Leave it to Faith c

Disclaimer: I do not own the Scott Pilgrim series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters and lines belong to Bryan Lee O'Malley and other respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.

**This is a work of fiction, any similarity or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.**

* * *

_Voice4TheMute Presents_

"Hey Lauren, can I borrow a coin?"

"A coin?" She said, slightly confused. "Are you…are you going to decide when to break up with him with a coin flip?" She said as she reached into her bag and took out a coin. She hurled it to me as I caught it with one hand.

"A wise man once told me 'when pitted with a decision, a coin flip will reveal the truth'." I said to her as I placed the coin on top of my index finger with my thumb tucked beneath it.

"What decision?"

"Well…I could do it today or on Monday. My weekend is way too busy to worry about this kind of thing. I'm sure Simon is the same way. I want to make sure I do this in person…it wouldn't be right any other way." I said to her as I look at the coin.

"So you're going to let this life-changing decision fall on a coin flip? You're going to let chance decide for you?"

"Chance?" I asked, looking at Lauren before flipping the coin up in the air. I watched it as it flipped and caught it, placing it on the back of my hand. I stared at the hand that was covering the coin and took a deep breath before lifting it up so that only I could see it.

"…I like to think I'm leaving it up to faith to decide."

"Hey Kim!" I heard Scott say to me as he came towards us. "I don't suppose you have any change for the vending machine." He said as I looked back at the coin I had on the back of my hand then back at him. I turned my hand over, catching the coin in mid fall and tossed it at him.

"There you go."

"Kim! That's mine-!"

"Thanks Kim! I owe you!" He said as he walked back the way he came. I caught a glimpse of him talking to a blonde hair girl but though nothing of it. Afterall, Lauren was now yelling at me.

"Kim! That was my change!" Lauren said, obviously upset that I just gave away her money.

"Sorry about that. I'll pay you back, don't worry." I said to her as I tighten the straps on my backpack and started to head to the exit. Lauren followed right behind me.

"Eh, actually I don't care. Someone earlier today gave me their change at the vending machine at lunch. So technically I made zero profit today.

"Maybe that coin is destined to be passed on, never to be spent." I said to her as we made it to the exit. I held the door open so Lauren can walk through.

"Maybe. Say, what did your coin toss say anyways? Are you going to do it today or on Monday?"

"Well, the 'truth' told me to do it on Monday." I said as we followed the paved path and walked down the sidewalk.

"I still can't believe that you're going to put this life-changing decision on a coin flip. I mean…for someone that likes to plan everything, doesn't that seem reckless?" She asked me, but I kept walking in confidence.

"Nope. I'll let you in on a little secret Lauren. A coin flip is a legitimate way to make a decision. You know why?"

"…no. why?"

"…because when you flipped the coin and watch it fly through the air, there is a moment where you realize what you want the result to be."

_Life at St. Joel's 011c: Leave it to Faith_

_So Monday rolled around…_

"I can't believe that you're going to do it Kim. I mean…why are you going to say to him?" Lauren asked as we go off the morning bus and headed towards school.

"I…actually don't know. I mean, I have something planned out, but you know how situations can change on you last minute. If worse comes to worse, I'll tell him the truth. I feel that the relationship is falling apart and that I want to break up with him." I said to her as she passed through the open iron gates of St. Joel's.

"Sounds a bit…tough. Might want to make it sound softer. I mean, for all he knows, things are going swimmingly between the two of you."

"I know! I know! Well, right now I have bigger problems to worry about. I have to present my geography project to the teacher at noon and I haven't even rehearsed what I'm going to say. But mark my words, when school is over, I'm taking the first bus up to Benvie Tech and by that time, I will know what I'm going to say to Simon when I…"

"Kim, look out." Lauren said to me as I almost ran into a blond hair girl. I abruptly stopped but she just stood there, wanting to engage me in conversation.

"Oh, sorry about that." I said to her as I brushed my hair back with my hand. "Didn't see you there."

"It's no problem. I'm Lisa by the way. Lisa Miller." She said as she extended her hand to me.

_So this is the elusive Lisa Miller. Actually…she looks very familiar. I think this was the girl I ran into the first day of school…getting drinks for the popular girls. I told her to be careful about them…wonder if she took my advice. But more to the point…she's not that bad looking. Nice pink pearl berette in her hair, cute facial expression…nice body…wait. What am I doing? Why am I checking her out? Gah, I need to get out of my head more._

"Kimberly Pine." I said as I took her hand and shook it. "This is-"

"Lauren. Good to see you again. I didn't know you know Kim." Lisa said to her and Lauren laughed nervously.

"Yeah…Kim is also in ASB. She's the junior representative so I see her more times that I'm comfortable with." They both laughed as I gave Lauren a nudge on the side.

"Hey!"

"Sorry Kim."

"So anyways, I assume Scott already asked you." Lisa said to me, but I just looked at her with confusion.

"Scott? Ask me what? What was he going to ask me?" I said, looking back and forth between Lisa and Lauren, hoping one of them would give me the answer but to no avail.

"You mean Scott didn't ask you? Wasn't he on the bus you were on?" Lisa asked, pointing the behind us. Lauren and I turned around but didn't see the bus or Scott. "Great…he must have overslept and missed the bus again. That figures…" I heard Lisa say with a sigh.

"Can't be helped, he's Scott Pilgrim afterall." I said as that little joke made Lisa and Lauren laugh out loud.

"True…oh so true…"

"So what does Scott want with me? Is it about the project?" I asked Lisa, seeing that she knows what he wanted to asked me.

"Oh…well. Hmm…" Lisa thought, rubbing her chin. "…I don't know if it falls under my jurisdiction. I mean, I am the leader, but he wanted to ask you personally…"

"Ask me what?" I said again, placing my hands on my hips.

"I don't know…it wouldn't be right if I said it…"

"Ask me what?" I repeated, now feeling very impatient by Lisa's lack of courage to tell me what's going on.

"Well, ok. Scott wanted to know if you-"

"ATTENTION ST. JOEL'S! WE MEAN YOU NO HARM!" Someone yelled at the top of their lungs as Lisa, Lauren, I, and the rest of the students in front of our school turned around to see who was yelling.

"What in the world…" Lisa said as my eyes scanned the area in front of me. There was another bus in front of our school, but it wasn't ours. The markings and the colors were not ours, and the group of kids that started to come out of it were not wearing our school colors. Much to my horror and the horror of the students that were witnessing this, those colors and the bus belonged to our rival school, Benvie Tech High.

"Benvie Tech…" I muttered as the group of ten big guys started to walk onto the school grounds and looked around. Their gaze was so intimidating that it pushed students away from their sight. As least…it pushed away all the girls.

"What are you doing on our tuff, Benvie Tech!" Austin yelled as he, Edward, and Andrew stepped up, sleeves already rolled up and fist clenched. If there was any time that I would like to see the Joel Bruisers, now would definitely be that time. "Seems that your bus mistook our school for yours. Or have you guys come to finally admit that we're more better than you in everything!"

"More better? Is that what they're teaching you in this dump?" The apparent 'leader' of the group said as the guys behind him started to laugh. "I guess we can also mark down that Benvie Tech teaches English better that them."

"Shut up you!" Austin yelled as he charged the leader, fist cocked back for a punch.

"Right punch…" The boy said as she side stepped Austin and kneed him in the gust, causing him to collapse on the ground. Austin staggered back to his feet before throwing a wild backhand in the direction of the Benvie Tech boy. "…to backhand swing." He said again as he dodge the backhand and delivered a straight left punch to the jaw of Austin, putting him face down on the ground. He didn't move for a second. He didn't move for two seconds. He didn't move for three seconds. He was down for the count. "Guess the scrawny kid was right. Alright boys, just remember what he told us and we'll be able to be the other two."

"You're not getting away with this!" Andrew yelled as he and Edward charged in.

"You'll pay for what you did to Austin!"

"Wait!" I yelled but within seconds, both Andrew and Edward where taken out. I stood there in shock. The three toughest boys we have at our school were taken out by one guy. What did this mean? Who was this guy? How did he know where the attacks were coming from and at what time? But more importantly, why were they here?

"Now then…" The 'leader' said as he stepped over the three beaten bodies. "We're here on official business. We mean no harm. All we ask, is for the one known as 'Kimberly Pine' to come with us." He said out loud. My heart sank as he said that. Suddenly, all eyes were on me, but bless everyone in School, they didn't actually turn their heads to give away my location. For all I know, they don't know what I look like or if I'm even out in the courtyard with them. But I felt the pressure…I felt the weight that was begin put on my back. The reason why the Benvie Tech boys were here… the reason why the Joel Bruisers were down …was because of me.

"Kim…what do they want with you?" I heard Lisa whisper to me as I stepped back and hid behind Lisa and Lauren.

"I have no idea…" I whispered back to her as the Benvie Tech boy started to walk forwards.

"If you think you're going to take one of our own, you have another thing coming!" A guy yelled as he stepped forward along with three of his friends.

"We're not going to let you waltz in and just take someone from us without a fight!" Another guy yelled from the other side of the courtyard.

"Heh…I see how it is. Alright boys. Let's rough them up a bit. She'll reveal herself eventually. _HE _said she will." The 'leader' said as I saw guys from out school charge towards the group of boys from Benvie Tech. Punches were throw, kicks were delivered, but much to my horror, the battle was very one sided…

…sided in favor of Benvie Tech.

Each of the punches they took…the kicks they suffered through…the pummeling they sustained…I couldn't take it. I couldn't allow them to take those hits for my name.

"STOP!" I yelled as the Benvie Tech boys stopped their assault and looked over at me. "I'm Kimberly Pine. I'm the one you want." I said as their 'leader' released the guy he was hitting and swaggered over to me.

"So, you're Kimberly Pine huh?" He said as he looking up and down my body. "You're as cute as he described."

"What do you want from me?"

"We're not here to hurt you. We're here to…'escort' you." He said as I raised an eyebrow.

"…what do you mean, 'escort'?"

* * *

"Here we are your 'majesty'." Their 'leader' said to me as their bus came to a stop and escorted me off. Their school was much bigger than ours, there were definitely more students hanging around the campus as well as students inside the classrooms. When I first saw their school, I was in awe…but soon it turned into fear as they were all now staring at me. In my moment of fascination, I completely forgotten that I was still wearing my school colors, and that we were hated by them. Hell…even their teachers hated us…maybe it was because we pay our teachers better, or something like that. "Don't worry. If you stay with us and don't run off, you'll be perfectly safe. Like I said, we're here to 'escort' you to him. Nothing more, nothing less." He said as I followed him towards the school grounds.

"You still didn't tell me who was expecting me." I said to me as I felt the judging gaze on me of every student and teacher that we passed by. Eventually, we came to a staircase that indicated that it lead to the roof.

"Well, you'll find your answer up there." He said, pointing upward. I looked up the long flight of stairs and swallowed hard. I slowly ascended those stairs, unsure of what to expect. But soon, those stairs lead to a closed door.

"Well…here we go." I said to myself as I opened the door and walked through. There was no one in plain sight at first. It was your typical school roof. Kinda like the ones you see in Japanese anime…except this was the real deal. But soon my wandering eyes would catch a glimpse of someone looking over the roof of building. A certain someone with think black frame glasses and messy black hair…

…a certain someone who I plan on breaking up with…

"Simon…Simon is that you?" I asked, as I walked towards him. He turned his head so I could completely see his face. There was no doubt about it. It was him. Simon Lee.

"Kim….it's been awhile. Long time no see." He said to me as he fully turned to me and smiled, his hand stuffed deep in his pockets like a nervous little boy. "How've you been?"

"How've I-? Did you…were you the one that sent those guys to get me?" I said, a bit dumbfounded. Simon was never the guy that would command people, let alone command big people, around like that. It was very uncharacteristic of him.

"What? No 'it's good to see you again, Simon'? No, 'I miss you Simon'? I mean…yeah, things have definitely been busy for the last few months…but it's all been worth it. I mean, look at me…look what I have achieved." He said as he motioned me to come over to him. I was very hesitant at first, but I slowly walked over to where he was and he motioned me to look over the roof. It was a clear sight of the entire courtyard of the campus. You could see everything and everyone from this view point. It was as if this roof was some sort of…throne.

"What is all this…?" I asked as I backed away from the edge and looked at him. The he was standing…the way he looked outward at the people below…the way he smirked as he went from all the people below to me…it didn't feel right. It didn't feel like Simon. Something changed in him…something changed for the worse.

"Can't you see? I did it…I'm popular. I finally have power. It was I who told the football team to come get you. It was I who granted you safe passage here." He said to me as he walked towards me and reached out for my hand. I withdrew my hand away from him and backed away.

"What do you mean? You never wanted this back in St. Joel's. What happen to you Simon?" I asked, a worried look spread across my face.

"What happen to me? What happen to me? I was given something that people only DREAM of getting! A second chance! A clean slate! The ability to go back and reforge my image." Simon said, turning his back towards me and once again looking back over the roof. "No longer would I be just a student at some school. I was determined to make a name for myself when I transferred here. So with both street and book smarts, I was able to topple the 'in' crowd…sabotage the popular kids…and even get the football team to be my personal puppets. I became their leader…their inspiration…their ruler…"

"Simon! This isn't like you! What happen to the quiet smart kid that didn't care what people thought of him!"

"HE'S NOT HERE ANYMORE! He was a nobody that no one respected. Here…people know I existed. And not because he was a sophomore representative at his school…but because he was powerful. I even had people back at St. Joel's to spy on everyone and sport teams so I can inform our teams on what they're training for…" I wasn't sure what to make of him anymore. That innocent buy that I fell for back in sophomore year…this wasn't him. He would never have wanted this. All he wanted was friends. "But it's all coming together now that you're here."

"…what?"

"You always said that we should mingle and get more friends…well look. Everyone here knows me. And everyone here knows you're my girlfriend. I did this all for you…for us." He said, turning around look at me. But I couldn't look him in the eyes. I no longer could. The person in front of me wasn't Simon Lee. That just made it easier to say what was on my chest for months.

"Simon, I want to break up with you!" I said…well, yelled as those words alone stopped him in his tracks. It was his turn to have a shocked expression on his face.

"W-What? But…I did this for us." He said but I turned my back to him.

"You're crazy Simon! I don't even know who you are anymore! Whatever happened to that sweet, innocent guy that I knew a year ago? Where's he? All I see is a power thirsty wannabe jock!"

"I'm not a jock! Don't lump me with those guys!" Simon yelled back at me as I turned to see him.

"You know what Simon? I wasn't even sure if I wanted to break up with you. I was actually going to come here after school to talk to you about our relationship…but now that I see what you've become…I can definitely say I don't want to be a part of it. It's over." I said to him.

"So what? That's it! You think you'll find someone that's just as smart as me? As powerful as me? I have the school eating out of the palm of my hands You think this 'Scott' guy will come for you? Well guess again!" Simon yelled which froze me in my tracks.

"…how do you know about Scott?"

"I told you I have spies in St. Joel's. How do you think I figured out how to beat the Bruisers so easily? Careful planning and observation. They also told me of a new kid…a kid that could take on the Bruisers all by himself. Scott Pilgrim." He said to me as I started to grit my teeth.

"Scott is twice the man you are!" I instinctively yelled at him. I didn't know why I would say that. I just wanted to hurt that overblown ego he was inflating. "If he was here, he would take you down a peg!"

"If he's such a 'man' then why isn't he here to save you! Obviously he doesn't care! And even if he did, I'm sure he would have been beaten to a pulp when the football team went to your school, or beaten to a pulp before he made it across our courtyard. You see…I prepared for everything Kim. And you know me…I'm always prepared."

"Well even if you built a moat and have archers, Scott will still find a way to come and get you!" I said, but my confidence was wavering. I didn't know Scott that well…and the one thing I really know about Scott is that once his mind is set, he will pursue it to the ends of the earth. He's persistent…maybe even too persistent. And it was the one thing I was banking on in getting me out of this.

_Scott…please help. I need you. Find out what happen to school…learn where I am….SAVE ME!_

"KIM?"

My eyes widen as I heard a voice call out to me. I rushed towards the fenced wall to see a light-brown haired guy standing in front of the school. His purple uniform stood out in the sea of red uniforms that stood before him. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Scott Pilgrim was here…he was here for me!

"SCOTT!" I yelled but Simon stepped by my side and started to yell down at the crowd of people.

"I'll pay for lunch until graduation to the person that brings me that man beaten down!" I heard him yell as I shot a scared looked at Simon then back at the scene of a mass of red uniforms attack the single purple dot. "I'll show you how foolish it was to rely on one single person. Then you'll see your mistake…"

"YOU'RE THE MISTAKE!" I yelled at him as I turned towards him. Then something happened. Something that I never found myself doing in a million years. My fist were up. They were clinched. They were ready to punch. I could tell Simon was surprised by this as well. I wasn't sure what I was doing. I wasn't sure why I was doing it. But I felt like I needed to defend myself.

"Kim…what are you doing? You're no fighter."

"I guess you don't know me as well as you thought!" I yelled as I put all my frustration, all my anger, all my feeling into one straight right punch. I closed my eyes. I couldn't bear seeing myself hitting someone else. I knew that by throwing this punch, I would be going against everything that I am: a passive, quiet, girl would just minded her own business and allowed the world to move past her. I felt my fist fly forward…but hit nothing. I suddenly felt myself be thrown off balance by my own punch and I opened my eyes to catch myself before I actually fall forward and land on my face. I looked off to the right to see Simon sidestep my punch, but there was something in his hand. Something shiny.

"So that's how it's going to be…" He muttered as I felt something cold hit my wrist. It felt hard as subsequent clicks followed after. I looked over and focused what was going on to see that there was one half of a shackle on me. "It would seem this 'Scott Pilgrim' is the problem between you and me. Once he gets here as a beaten and broken man, then you'll see how wrong you are in going against me. But until then…please stick around." He said as he pulled the other end of the cuffs and shackled it to a nearby plumbing pipe. I started to tug at my end of the cuffs to see if I can free myself but it was no use. I was now prisoner.

"Simon! You're crazy! All this for me? I'm breaking up with you! DEAL WITH IT!" I yelled at him as he shot me a glare.

"We'll see about that! Once you're precious Scott gets here, we'll see who's the crazy guy is and who's the more rational." He said as the cloudy sky got darker. I looked up to see that the cloud over my head was now as far as the eye can see…and it definitely threatened to rain.

"Hmm…sounds like someone's coming…" Simon said as I heard footsteps coming up the stairs that led up to the roof. My eyes widen with anticipation. Scott was clearly outnumbered. As if Simon does have some kind of 'spy' in the school, then they would have easily figured out Scott's fighting style…just like how they dispatched the Joel Bruisers. I didn't want to see the door open. I didn't want to see a guy drag an unconscious Scott to the roof. I didn't want to see Simon smile with accomplishment.

The doorknob started to turn.

Then it stopped.

It started to turn again.

Then it stopped once more.

"You have to turn it clockwise, remember?" I heard Simon say as he watched the door with much anticipation as me.

But then…the door got kicked open.

"KIM!" Scott yelled as he stared at me then at Simon, his uniform ripped in various places and his face scuffed up and cut. He was panting hard as his fists were still clinched…most likely since he had to battle is way up here. But the fact was that he was here, still standing, still fighting for me. I couldn't believe it. And I would bet my bottom dollar that Simon couldn't believe it either. "Let her go, Simon. I've defeated all your evil bosses. You're finished!"

"Took you long enough." Simon said, rather coolly for someone would confidently thought he would have been brought up here in a stretcher.

"Scott!" I yelled as I saw him turn his attention to me. We made eye contact as I motioned to the handcuffs that were on my wrist. "This sucks!" The clouds got darker and I felt a single rain drop hit my face. I looked up and saw that a few more rain drops were falling from the sky. It's starting to rain…

"This is the best St. Joel's could muster?"

"That's not what your mom said last night!"

And with a sudden crash of lighting and thunder, Scott accelerated forward and threw a solid straight right to the jaw of Simon. My eyes widen as I saw the two exchange blows. For the most part, Scott was very good at defending himself. He was able to counter a lot of Simon's punches, but when I saw Simon starting to choke Scott, I found myself closing my eyes and shrieking. I couldn't take it. People were getting hurt…Scott was getting hurt…even Simon, who I considered one of my best friends in sophomore year, was getting hurt…all because of me. I just wanted it all to stop. I wanted it all to end. I wanted to wake up from this bad dream.

_I never wanted to hurt anyone. I just wanted to move on with my life! I'm sorry that I took a chance! I'm sorry that I took this risk! I'm sorry that I wanted to take charge in my life! I'll let the world pass around me like it always has. I'll remain a supporting character in other people's lives…_

…_just please…_

…_make it stop!_

I opened my eyes to catch Scott throw one more punch to Simon's face, shattering his glasses as he fell backwards and onto the ground. My eyes widen as I saw him get on his knees and bow his head to Scott in defeat. Scott did it. Scott won. The rain was coming down harder now, but I locked my vision on Scott and Simon.

"Mercy!" Simon panted as he kept his head lowered. Scott hovered over him, his eyes looking down at him as if he was a king and Simon was a peasant. "Please! I've been a fool!"

"You'll never change." Scott said to him as I saw him cock back a kick and delivered it straight to the jaw of Simon. I shut my eyes before I saw get hit. It looked like it would hurt…and by the sound of it, it definitely did. As I opened my eyes, I saw Scott's eyes staring right at me.

"You ok Kim?" Scott asked as I felt his hand clasp my hand as he tried to fit the key he got from Simon in the keyhole. I felt a burden lifted from my shoulders as Scott now stood next to me, trying to free me from the shackles of my past. I gently squeezed his hand as he fit the key in the keyhole and began to turn. He stopped for a second as I squeezed his hand and he gently returned a squeeze. I felt the cold shackle slip from my wrist but continued to feel the warmth that is coming from the connection between me and Scott. It felt nice…it felt right…

"I didn't know who'd rescue me from that maniac…" I said, closing my eyes and just enjoying the fact that Scott came here for me. "…but I secretly hoped it would be you, Scott." It was the best I could say without actually saying 'Scott Pilgrim, I like you like you'. But what made my heart leap is what Scott said next.

"I like you, Kim. We should be dating." Scott said to me. I opened my eyes as I soon found him closer to me. His eyes were staring straight into mine. I slowly found my eyes trailing down from his eyes down to his nose and then down to his lips. Curiosity took over…desire took over. I felt my judgment get clouded with thoughts of want and passion as I felt Scott's fingers starting to lace with mine. "Also, do you want to play drums in my band?"

_Kim…stop. You just got out of a relationship. Do you think it's wise to rush into another one?_

_But it's Scott Pilgrim!_

_Has this encounter taught you anything? The guy you thought was your best friend ultimately became a douchebag and tried to imprison you here!_

_But that was Simon…Scott's different. He's…Scott._

_This is a mistake Kim…_

_He fought for ME! He came here to save ME! He fought off an entire school to come get ME! _

_But what if he hurts you in the end? Remember the risk you ran with Simon? Do you really want to see people hurt again? More importantly, do you want to BE hurt if it doesn't work?_

…_it's a risk I'm willing to take._

"Yes, Scott! Oh, yes!" I said to him as I felt his warm hand touch my face. I inhaled a bit as I felt his touch on my cheek as I closed my eyes and leaned in for a kiss. I felt his warm lips press up against mine and we started to kiss. It was nice…warm…comforting. Even if it started to snow right now, I knew that I would stay warm just standing out here with Scott. We soon parted from each other and we both looked up at the sky, the rain hitting our faces for almost a good minute.

"It's really raining outside…" Scott said as he looked back at me, his hand squeezing mine again.

"Yeah…"

"Guess we should get back to school."

"Yeah…I mean, our project is due today." I said, not really caring anymore about the project. My grade can take a hit this time around. I didn't care. What I cared about was the person standing in front of me.

"Don't worry about that. Lauren and Lisa said they'll try to work something out."

"Thank God for good friends…" I said as I collapsed into Scott's body. I felt Scott embrace me and just hugged me tight. "…can we go? I want to get as far away from this place as I can…" Scott nodded as he lead me back inside the school. I saw the bodies of the boys Scott had to defeat…it was well over twenty guys. It was impressive…but it was also traumatizing since I'm the one that caused it. Scott stopped for a minute to bend down and picked up an umbrella that was on the ground, most like used to hit Scott over the head but failed since it showed no signs of physical abuse. As we walked outside, he opened the umbrella and held it over our heads. It was big enough for the both of us if we were to stand next to each other, but I held Scott close…I didn't want to let him go.

"So how are we getting back?" I asked, looking up at Scott. I felt him shrug his shoulders as he looked down at me.

"Wanna walk it?"

"You know that's well over a thirty kilometer walk, right?" I said to him, raising my eyebrow at him.

"I don't mind." Scott said as he squeezed me close. I smiled as I returned the squeeze with one of my own.

"…I don't mind either." I said as we both began to walk.

It's what I wanted all along. Something simple…something easy…a guy that would defend me when I needed it. Someone to make me feel that my existence is important to one person in this dog-eat-dog world. Someone that I can put my trust into and expect them to do the same. Someone that I can show my true colors to and they won't judge me. I finally found someone that wants me for me…

I knew that this was the start of something amazing….a start to a new life…a clean slate. No problems. No worries.

Or at least that's what I thought…but at the time, I didn't see the problem that will soon form in front of me.

"Hey you two." A girl's voice called as both Scott and I finally got back to school. We were greeted by a girl with a pink umbrella. She was wearing the St. Joel's hooded sweater and plaid skirt with sweatpants underneath. She also had a pink berette that held one of her bangs back.

"You two look cozy together. What did I miss?"

* * *

To Be Continued…

For this arc, I decided to go with the altered version of how Scott and Kim got together for one sole reason: it was more entertaining to write. I mean, who wants to read about Scott beating up a defenseless Chinese kid? Also, to do this story, I had to make Simon seem…evil . Dunno how you guys feel about it, but I hope you enjoyed it! Anywho, hope you guys enjoyed it. More to come as soon as I finish my other story! So Until Then…!

_**Next! Life at St. Joel's 0##: The Nothing Club!**_


	7. The Nothing Club

Disclaimer: I do not own the Scott Pilgrim series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters and lines belong to Bryan Lee O'Malley and other respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.

**This is a work of fiction, any similarity or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.**

A/N: Ahh…back to Life at St. Joel's. Now that the main relationship has been established (Kim and Scott) I can now get to the point of the story. Wait…there's a point to this story? Well, originally, this was supposed to be a place where I can make one-shot stories that would take place during Scott's high school years. But this story just kind of evolved into something else. Oh well, what I can do but roll with it. So I'll just continue with the evolution!

Hmm…it's been awhile since I updated this story. Everyone who favorite/followed this story probably forgot everyone I introduced so I guess I should reintroduce the cast. But not in the author's notes…

* * *

_Voice4TheMute Presents _

"Report, Britney."

A black haired girl took a seat at a lunch table across from the blonde haired girl that was talking to her. In Britney's arms were several vanilla folders, all tabbed and labeled. The blonde haired girl patiently waited for her friend to settle herself and to organize the folders in front of her.

"Well Alice, things have been a bit hectic when Benvie Tech did their little 'stunt' last week."

"No kidding. How's my father handling it?" Alice asked as she rested her head on her propped arm and continued eating lunch with her other.

"The dean? He's still trying to figure out what's going on. He's talking to the dean of Benvie Tech, you know, trying to get the names of the students who were involved…I swear, if it weren't for the fierce rivalry between St. Joel's and Benvie Tech then I'm sure the students would have rated each other out. Since everyone doesn't want to admit defeat, you're father is having a hard time getting names. Hell, he may never get the names.

"Though the evidence is hard to ignore." Alice said as she looked around the lunch room. Several guys that were sitting in the room were bruised still from the 'attack' that Benvie Tech did. Some of the guys were still wearing their ruined uniforms from the fight. "If this school is unified for one thing, it's to never admit defeat to Benvie Tech. So did you figure out WHY they wanted Kim Pine?"

"We won't find out until Michelle gets back." Britney said. "She is our outside source for information. I'm sure she'll find out something." Alice sighed as she scooped two spoon-full of peas into her mouth. "Is something wrong?"

"Why Kim? I mean…thankfully it wasn't me. But why her?"

"Are you jealous?"

"Britney, please. Don't make me laugh. I just want to know why." Alice said as she tapped her lips a bit, thinking. "Simon Lee. He was at this school right?" Britney quickly shuffled through her folders to find the vanilla folder that was labeled 'Simon Lee'. She opened it to reveal several pieces of paper that held information about him.

"Simon Lee. He came in as an incoming freshman with the rest of us. He partook in many clubs and sports including badminton, TCG, speech and debate, and he was a sophomore representative at one point."

"He went to Benvie Tech, didn't he?"

"Uh…" Britney stuttered as she continued to shuffle through the papers. "…yes! He had to change school because his parents relocated due to jobs. Benvie Tech was a closer school to their home so…I guess it was inevitable. Shame too…he was a good sophomore representative. He and Kim worked well together-"

"They were also going out."

"Well, yes. They did go out for the majority of the year. Wait, you don't think that he orchestrated the attack, do you?"

"It's possible."

"I don't think so Alice. According to these files, he wasn't much of a brute or a mastermind. He's was a very quiet guy that spoke out when needed. I highly doubt a wall flower like him could do something at this large of a scale." Britney said to her as Alice finished her lunch and leaned back in her chair.

"It's still a possibility. I guess we won't get any kind of confirmation until that silly brunette gets back." Alice sighed as she looked over at another lunch table. Sitting at the table was three guys, all ranging from different body builds. They had a few bruises on their faces and were the few students that wore their ragged St. Joel's uniform with pride. "Look at those idiots. Wearing those uniforms as if they were some kind of trophy…"

"Well, they did defend St. Joel's from the Benvie Tech attack…"

"They lost."

"Still…they did defend us. Despite them being…well, them. We do sorta owe them for their courage."

"All we owe them are new uniforms. So any new updates on those three clowns?" Alice asked as Britney closed the vanilla folder of 'Simon Lee' and opened another folder labeled 'Joel Bruisers'.

"Let's see…the Joel Bruisers. Nothing new really. I haven't updated their injury reports just yet, but I kind of don't want to ask them about it. Edward, Austin, and Andrew. Edward is the guy with the black bennie, right. He's the scout. He lurks around the school and manages to get information that we, sometimes, cannot get until it is made public by the Bruisers. And pain in me and Michelle's sides. How he gets his information is unknown. Austin, the leader and the brawn of the group. He's a physically bulky buy but making fun of his physic will get you a one way ticket to the nursing ward. Finally Andrew, the snake. He wins the trust of people just so he can exploit information and report it back to their leader. Together, they're the Joel Bruisers, each one of them capable of fighting so tangling with one is just as bad as tangling with all three."

"For a pack of bullies, they are well organized. Then again, we're a well organized group as well. What we lack in brawn we have in brains. That, and we have connects to the school." Alice gloated as bit as Britney packed away the information about the Bruisers away. There was still something that Alice wanted to ask, but was stalling to ask it. The information was needed, but she was a bit scared of the answer. "Britney…so Kim came back safe right?"

"Yeah. I told you I saw her come back after school that same day."

"You said something seeing her with the two new students, right?" Alice asked as Britney opened two folders marked 'Scott Pilgrim' and 'Lisa Miller'.

"Um…yes. After my club, I saw Kim talking to Scott Pilgrim and Lisa Miller…the two new students that came in this year. Lisa Miller is the blonde girl with the pink pearl barrette that sprayed you with soda-"

"You didn't have to bring that up you know…"

"…sorry. And Scott Pilgrim. No real information about him. His parents moved here to Northern Ontario because of jobs…" Britney said as she looked through the papers. "It's also reported by several students that he single-handedly beat the Bruisers."

"By himself? Really?"

"According to this, yes. He already served two detentions because of his physical nature. Lisa Miller also served two detentions as well. Natural pair, those two."

"Trouble makers befriend other trouble makers…that is all." Alice said cooly as she took a sip of her drink. "Anything else?"

"Well, both of them haven't joined any clubs yet but we'll see. Afterall, the club fair is today so that might change."

"I see. Well, I want more information about those two, especially for Lisa Miller. I told her that she will pay for spraying me with that soda and I intend for her to have a miserable time as long as she stays here in St. Joels. …Britney, are you even listening to me?" Alice asked, noticing that her friend was no longer looking at her. She was looking over at a sheet of paper that belonged to Scott Pilgrim then opening Kim Pine's folder to look at another piece of paper. Her attention as darting between the two documents and scratching her head. "What's wrong?"

"Um…this is new to me. Did you know about this?"

"You're asking me? You're in charge of everything that happens in St. Joel's."

"Yeah, but I figured with your connections with other clubs and people that you would have heard about this. I mean…I barely have any information about this, and I just got this information today. I mean, maybe it's just a rumor. It's too unreliable."

"What is it, Britney?" Alice asked, now leaning towards her, the look of curiosity spreading across her face.

"Kim Pine…she's in a relationship."

"Oh? With who?"

"…Scott Pilgrim."

_Life at St. Joel's 029: The Nothing Club_

_Meanwhile…outside in the quad…_

"Idiots." A red-headed girl said to the two people who were eating lunch on a bench, isolated away from the rest of the students. Both of them looked up at her, then at each other, then back at her. "Yes, both of you. What are you guys doing? I thought you normally eat lunch inside the lunch room."

"We would, but with as much trouble that I caused, I fear that they will all come after me…for some reason…" I said as the red head shook her head.

"First of all, that's my line, Scott. If anyone should be afraid to eat lunch in public it should be me. I mean, I'm responsible for half of our guys getting beaten up and bruised. Hell, I'm even responsible for getting the Bruisers beaten up. But I'm still out here being publicly known. And what's your story Lisa?"

"Alice still hates me." The blonde haired girl with the pink barrette hair clip responded as she took a sip from her juice box. "She'll probably kill me if I sit there alone. So I decided to follow Scott. You know…for the protection."

"Come on you two. So things went down between us and Benvie Tech. It hasn't been the first time. Things like this happens. The two schools have a huge rivalry. Why do you think the Joel Bruisers came to my defense?"

"Wait, the Bruisers came to YOUR defense?" I asked Kim, a bit amazed that the three people that always picked on me would defend a lady. I only heard stories of what happened at school when I wasn't there. Afterall, I ended up missing the bus that day. Lucky for me I suppose. But then again I had to do the clean up afterwards. But still, the idea that those three bullies defended Kim…

"Our school may be segregated in terms of clubs…but we're still a unified student body. Remember that you two. When it comes to Benvie Tech, our school does not fool around and we don't break the code 'no rating'. Even Andrew has standards." Kim said as she crossed her arms. "That reminds me, you two are going to the club fair today, right?"

"Why? We're outcast remember? I doused the most popular girl in school with soda…" Lisa muttered, sipping her juice again.

"I'm notorious for starting fights and hanging out with said girl who doused the most popular girl in school…" I said as I felt Lisa shove me to the side.

"Thanks for the support, 'friend'!" Lisa yelled as I saw Kim roll her eyes.

"As I mentioned before, this school is based on club activity and participation. Today, they're hoping open recruitment for anyone that wants to join. If you're going to join a club or were thinking of joining a club, then today is the best day to do it. Because after today, they are going to do whatever projects they had plan for the semester so recruitment will 'officially' be closed." Kim said to us. "You must find at least ONE club to join so that you're not a total outcast. At least be an outcast with a club backing you up." I heard Lisa sigh as she got up and stretched a bit.

"Well…if what you say is true, then there is something that I've been meaning to check out." Both Kim and I raised our eyebrows at this statement.

_I didn't know Lisa was interested in the clubs here at school. Actually, she did mention that she wanted to be 'cool'. Maybe this is her way of achieving that. Maybe I should also look for a club to join. But…what club should I join?_

"Really Lisa? What club?"

"Mmm…I'll tell you if I get in. But yeah…I really don't have high hopes, but I do want to try." Lisa said as she started packing up her lunch. I looked down at my lunch and saw that I was really lagging behind. I still had half a ham and cheese sandwich and my own box of juice that Lisa gave me. "I'll see you guys in class, alright?" Lisa said to us as she took off, leaving me and Kim behind. Kim watched as Lisa scurried away and up the small staircase into the main school before coming over and taking a seat next to me.

"Now…will YOU go out and find a club to join?" She said to me, sitting a lot closer to me than Lisa did.

"I guess I could go find a club." I muttered as I picked up my other half of my sandwich and brought it to my mouth. It stopped halfway though, as I felt Kim's gaze on me still. I looked over at her, particularly looking at her freckles that where just below her eyes. I saw her cheeks turn pink as she looked into my eyes and turned away from me. "…what?"

"It's nothing. Nevermind."

"What is it Kim? …do you want a bite?" I offered as I figured she was probably hungry.

"No…I just ate."

"Um…what's wrong?" I asked her as she took a small peak over at me, her face still slightly pink.

"I'm…I'm still 'new' to all this ok?" Kim said as I still looked at her, confused.

"I don't understand." I said to her as she scooted closer to me to the point where I felt her body press up against mine. I felt my own face start to get warm as Kim was now really close to me. It's been a week, but it was still 'new' to me too. Kim and I started dating, and so far, things have been running smoothly. We hung out, got donuts once, maybe went on a small date to the park near her house. But out of all of it, it was hard to still not feel embarrassed. "Oh…ok…."

"You're such a dork sometimes…" Kim muttered as she rested her head on my shoulder. I leaned my head towards her and rested it on top of her head.

"But I'm an awesome dork, right?"

"I guess…" She said in a teasing voice as I felt her head come up. I moved my own head away so she can be free of my head hug. "…just go find a club to join, ok? We can head to Ol' Santos' afterwards." She said as she just stared at me.

"Sounds good." I said to her as I also looked at her. "…hello?"

"Shut up Pilgrim! I'm still bad at this!" She yelled at me as I arched backwards.

"W-What are you…?" I stammered but then she leaned towards me and placed a small kiss on my lips. The kiss caught me off guard, but it felt nice regardless. She quickly pulled away before I can come up with a kiss of my own.

"I'm still shy to kiss you in public. You know how I feel about this PDA…"

"PDA? As in the hand-held device?"

"No you idiot. Public display of affection…" She muttered as she looked away from me, obviously embarrassed by that kiss. Enough though there was no one around us, I guess I can understand how she felt.

"Well…we can always wait until we find a place a little more secluded." I said as she got up and dusted off her plaid skirt. She gave me a sly smile, something I found to be very seductive.

"Mmm…I guess. Maybe go back to the park." She said as she leaned in again and stopped inches away from my face. She just hovered there, her eyes closed and her arms around my neck. But nothing came. I raised my eyebrow as I continued to look at her face, waiting for her eyes to open. "Hello…!" I playfully said as her eyes finally did open.

"G-g-god dammit Pilgrim!" She said as she broke away from me and started to walk away. I quickly got up and rushed towards her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into a hug. "G-get off me! I told you I'm still new at this! Leave me go! I'm breaking up with you!"

"Aw, don't say that!" I said as I gave her a small squeeze to pacify her. She settled down in minutes before I rested my head on the top of her head again. "I'll go find a club to join. I'll meet you after school?"

"I guess…"

"Ok then." I said as I felt it was my turn to return the affection. I moved my head to the side and gave her a small kiss on the cheek that turned her face red in an instant.

"W-wha! Scott! Not here!" She said as her hand came to her cheek and touched the place where I kissed her.

"Well, I can't let you have all the fun!" I said to her as I ran over to the bench and collected my things.

"Why you…!"

"Later Kim! See you after school!" I said to her as I bolted the opposite direction. Kim did bring up a good point about today. If I wanted to fit in, St. Joel's that is, then I need to find myself a club to join.

Question is…what club to join?

* * *

The club fair was an event that I underestimated. As I walked into the auditorium where the event was being held, there was a sea of booths, people, and projects set up all over the building. Flyers, banners, walking billboards where all scattered across the room as people where trying to get people from other clubs to expand their horizons and get their members to join their club. They were yelling out the perks, potential projects, field trips, whatever it took to get people's attention, the clubs were doing it. As I entered, I was overwhelmed by greeters and teachers.

"You should join the MGL! We need able bodies like you!"

"Join the fitness club and soon, the Joel Bruisers will be watching out for you! Your results may vary…"

"Join the literature club! You look like a smart fellow. Come join us!"

_Man oh man…where do I even start?_

"Ah…Mr. Pilgrim." I voice said behind me as I turned around to see a familiar man in a suit. "Good to see you've decided to do something other than be a nuisance to the school."

"Oh! Professor…um…" I said, trying to come up with a name to the face but found it very difficult. It was hard enough to remember my professors in my own classes let alone someone that I recognize but don't know who it is. "…ah…"

"Dean Thomas…" He said, bitterly.

"Oh! Yeah! Oh…shoot. I'm not in trouble am I?" I asked, as a initial response.

"Not unless you're supposed to be." Dean Thomas said as he surveyed the area. "We have many clubs here, Pilgrim. I do hope you can find one that suits you instead of beating up the youth. There are only so many detentions I can give you afterall."

"Um…I'll try to find something I like?" I said, trying to give him an answer that would get him to leave. Apparently, I hit the mark as he turned his head and started walking away from me towards that direction.

"Let us hope so, Pilgrim."

As he started to walk away, I began my own little trek around the auditorium to see what interest me. I was a man of very few interest: video games and music. But these clubs that were about video games and music…they were pretty…extreme. Not to mention they were playing things that I haven't heard of before.

_Gaming Club Booth_

"Welcome! I see you're interested in being a fellow gamer!" A guy said to me as I approached their table. Majority of the people around this table were guys with the exception of the one girl who quietly sat off in the corner, dodging eye contact with anyone.

"Um…sure I guess." I said as they all looked at each other.

"Fantastic! I'm Mark. I'm the president of the Gaming club!" He guy said with thick black frames said to me as he extended his hand to me. I graciously took it and shook it. "We're not that strict in terms of games. We play them all! Nes, Super Nintendo, Playstation, old new consoles."

"Wow…that's pretty cool. I mean, I am a big fan of the Mario series-"

"I'm not done. We do computer games, strategy, board games, card games, dice games, fork games…"

"Ok. I think I get it-"

"Don't interrupt. We do Command and Conquer, Starcraft, Warcraft, Counter-strike"

"Yeah…I think I'm gonna…go look somewhere really quick." I said as I started to back away. Mark was still rifting off games as I backed up and turned around. But as soon as I left the over-welcoming comfort, I was paraded with a whole lot of other unwelcoming people trying to get me to join their club.

"Join the crochet club! We're making the world's biggest sock!"

"TCG club needs more skilled, planned, members. Think you can come up with a strategy that can topple the best?"

"Come join the AV club-!"

"Move nerd!" I yelled at the next person that tried to recruit me as I dashed away from the pack of people that were closing in on me. The weird thing was that I was not the only person they were hounding down. They were also doing this to anyone that wasn't near a booth. I had to find a quiet place to think.

_I could go back outside…but then I would miss out on the club fair. And then Kim would get mad at me for not joining anything. Well…technically I joined the Gaming Club but still…what the-?_

My mindless wandering brought me to a familiar figure who was sitting cross-legged in the corner of the auditorium. He wore a weathered brown fedora hat and a brown overcoat. He wore the standard collared shirt, neck tie, and black dress pants that all male professors wear, but there was always something off about him whenever I see him. His name is Ryan Monroe, and he was my world studies professor.

"P-Professor Monroe?" I called out, as I slowly approached my passive teacher. He didn't turn his head towards me. Heck, I don't even think he heard me. But a minute later of me staring at him, I saw him open one eyes, turn it towards me, then closed it again.

"Ah, Mr. Pilgrim. How are you?"

"Um…good. Good I suppose." I said as I looked around the busy auditorium. No recruiters or teachers were coming towards this secluded area. In fact, if there was an overhead view, there would be a people-free dome all around where Professor Monroe was sitting. "What are you doing? If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind." He said, still not opening his eyes or making any body movements to acknowledge my position near him. "I'm meditating."

"Meditating?"

"Well…to be perfectly honest. I'm just sitting here and pretending to meditate." Professor Monroe laughed a bit. "You see, people will leave you alone when you're meditating…pretending or not. But that's not why I do this."

I found myself becoming more curious as I, too, took a seat next to him, cross-legged and placing my hands on my thighs in a meditative position. Maybe there was a method to the madness, who knows? "Um…then why do you do this?"

"…because life is too fast."

"I…don't get it." I confessed, still stumped but paying attention to what he has to say.

"Everyone talks about getting life on the fast lane. Doing this fast…faster internet, faster cars, faster, faster, faster. Sometimes, it's good to take things slow and …just sit here and do nothing."

"Do nothing?"

"Life is on a busy highway and if you don't keep up, you'll get run over. I like to think that if you make yourself obvious, then you won't get hit." Professor Monroe said as he finally opened his eyes and looked over at me. "So Mr. Pilgrim. Have you found a club that you want to join?"

"Well…" I started, scratching my head in both nervousness and frustration. "…there were a few I thought I would try to join. But everyone seems so close knit and the lingo is so foreign."

"See? Result of the fast pace society that we live in. But if you expose yourself to them, then you'll acquire that lingo in no time."

"I suppose. But I don't know. Seems very overwhelming. And these people are pretty die hard about their clubs too. Maybe a little crazy." I admitted to him as I heard him chuckle to himself.

"Maybe you should make a club for the slow."

"Make a club?" I repeated to him.

"How do you think these clubs were formed in the first place?" Professor Monroe asked me as I looked around the room. There were so many clubs and at first, I thought they were all exclusive. But when I really slowed things down, I saw the truth. They weren't exclusive. If anything, they were inclusive. I saw people who were part of other clubs moving over to other booths to help out their club recruitment, I saw members of the Gaming Club go to the TCG to talk to their members, I even saw members of the Buriers help recruit people for the engineering club. It was then it hit me…I wasn't attacked by various mobs to recruiters. They were the same people…recruiting different clubs. Were they all looking out for me, hoping they would advice me a club I would join? "This school may be club-oriented, but we're still family, you know. We're welcoming of new clubs and we'll do what we can to help make the club grow."

"I see…so you think I should make a new club?"

"Maybe…but you'll need some kind of emphasis and a teacher as a club advisor."

"Hmm…" I pondered as I looked at Professor Monroe, then back at myself.

Then it hit me.

* * *

"Wow, Lisa. Congratulations." I heard Kim's voice call as I heard two pairs of footsteps come up from behind.

"Yeah. I've always wanted to do this. And now I'll be able to do it. I just really hope I don't blow it."

"You'll do great Lisa, I- whoa. Hey Scott. Professor Monroe. Um…what are you two doing?" I heard Kim ask me as I opened my eyes to see Kim and Lisa staring down at me. Both Professor Monroe and I were still sitting in the same spots for a full thirty minutes and we haven't moved since then. At least we didn't have a reason to until now.

"Oh. Kim. Lisa. Hey guys. Just in time. You want to join my club?" I asked them as they looked at each other then back at me.

"What club, there's nothing here." Lisa said as she looked around, expecting to see some kind of booth or banner to indicate a club name or motive.

"Oh, it's right here." I said, pointed down to a piece of binder paper that I folded in a triangular pattern and scribbled the name of the club on it. Both Kim and Lisa peered at it and said at the same time,

"The Nothing Club…?"

"That's right."

"Professor Monroe? Are you the club advisor?" Kim asked as he nodded in agreement.

"Mr. Pilgrim asked if I would be the advisor and I gladly accepted it."

"Ok…" Lisa stretched as she still looked at me, very confused. "So what does you club do?"

"Nothing."

"…ok. I'm outta here." I heard Kim say, but I quickly interjected to get her to come back.

"Wait Kim! Hear me out! I mean…when was the last time you stopped to do…well…nothing." I asked her as she started to ponder to herself. It took her awhile, but then she still couldn't come up with an answer. "There, you see? Sometimes it's essential to take things slow and just do…nothing. Professor Monroe taught me that. And I thought it would be cool to make a club about it. No prerequisites. No need to be tech savvy or game savvy or whatever. All you need to do is just sit here and…do nothing."

"Scott…you've completely lost it…" Kim said as she looked over at Lisa for a confirmation. But then a shocked look took over her face. "Lisa!"

"Move over Scott, I wanna join in."

"Hey! Our first member, Professor!" I said, very excited.

"Good job recruiting, Mr. Pilgrim." We all looked over at Kim, with big smiles on our faces. She wanted to join…we just knew it.

"….fine! I'll join your club…" Kim admitted defeat as she took a seat right next to me.

"Another member!" Lisa said out loud.

"Woohoo!" I joined in after her.

"Ok! Ok! Don't need to rub it in." Kim said to us as I heard her take a deep breath and just sat there, slowly getting relaxed.

"Feel better Kim?" I teased as I saw her tense body finally give in to doing nothing and she was now slouching forward.

"Shut up Scott…" I muttered. I figured she needed something like this. Being a junior representative must mean a lot of work and running around. If I didn't make this club for me, then it's definitely for the overworked.

"In that case, I will be right back." I said to them as I got up. Lisa, Kim, and even Professor Monroe looked up at me.

"Where are you going?"

"I remembered something while sitting there that I need to take care of. Keep the ground warm for me. Alright?"

"W-wait! Don't you want to hear-"

"Sorry! I gotta go before the fair is over!" I said to them as I started to run across the auditorium, making Lisa's sentence inaudible. There was something I needed to do…well, more like need say to someone. And I figured that if I was going to find them, they would be around here somewhere.

Finally, I found them…and their booth.

"Well well well, if it isn't the little Pilgrim." Austin said to me as I approached the booth with the banner saying 'Joel Bruisers'. I wasn't sure what I was more surprised in. The fact that the school acknowledges that this is a club, or that fact that they're trying to get members. "So what are you here for? Come to join the toughest kids in school?"

"Save it Austin. You know that I'M the toughest. In fact, I should rename my club 'Joel Bruisers…bashers…'." I struggled, trying to come up with a good comeback…but failing hard. This only resulted in all three of them to laugh at me.

"Good one Pilgrim! You made us laugh. I guess we'll save you the beating today!"

"Heh, I should be saying the same thing to you." I remarked, but that caused Austin to lean forward.

"If you wanna throw down. I'll be glad to."

"Trust me when I say I wouldn't mind the exercise. But that's not why I'm here…" I said to them as Austin regained his composure in his seat. Now Austin, Edward, and Andrew were looking at me perplexed.

"So why are you here then, Pilgrim?"

"I understand that when Benvie Tech came to school last week, you defended the school." I started as I saw them all smile with pride.

"You're damn right. No Benvie Tech Boy will come to campus without a fight…"

"…I also understand that you defended Kim Pine."

"Yeah, what of it? She's part of St. Joel's. We look out for each other…" Austin said to me as I nodded and turned around. I got what I needed. It made me feel good about this school…and the students here. Now I know it wasn't because of school pride or a stupid rivalry…no matter what anyone else said.

They all look out for each other.

"…thanks you guys. I owe you one." I said to them as I left their booth. They didn't say anything back. I'm sure that alone will be enough to keep them satisfied. But I did owe them. If it wasn't for them, maybe Kim would have been in trouble with the school. A student abduction would be easy to figure out, but causing a school wide brawl will make it hard to point fingers at the perpetrator. Kim would have been blamed by the school if she wasn't defended by the Bruisers. So a thank you was indeed in order. I started to head back to where I left Lisa, Kim, and Professor Monroe when suddenly a girl stepped in front of my path. "Um…hello?"

"Scott Pilgrim?" The brunette girl asked me as I nodded my head in agreement. "You've been invited to eat with us tomorrow at lunch." She said to me as she handed me a letter with my name inscribed on the front. I raised an eyebrow as I looked at the letter then back at the brunette.

"Uh…who…?"

"Don't be late." She said and hurried off. I was dumbstruck. Who was that girl? And who was I eating lunch with? There were more questions I wanted to ask, but I felt someone press up against me from the side.

"You going to stand there like an idiot or help out clean up?" Kim's voice rang in my ear as I saw Kim next to me. I instinctually hid the letter, unsure why, but did it for my own privacy.

"K-Kim! W-what do you mean 'clean up'?" I asked as I looked around. I noticed everyone started to pack up the booth and take down the banners in the auditorium. The club fair was officially over.

"Well…since the fair is over. I was thinking that maybe you and I should go to Ol Santos' and get a dounut." She said as she leaned more against me. I welcomed her body press and lightly leaned against hers. "Maybe go find a nice place in the park to-"

"Are you guys going to Ol' Santos'? Count me in!" Lisa suddenly barged between us, separating us and looping our arms with hers. "Haven't been there last week with the whole Benvie Tech thing going down. So when are we going?" Both Kim and I looked at Lisa, as if asking 'why would you do that?' but then I received a nasty glare at Kim and I instantly knew what she was screaming in her head.

"_SHE DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT 'US' YET?"_

_Oh boy…_

…_I'm in trouble._

* * *

To Be Continued…


	8. The Worse Kept Secret

Disclaimer: I do not own the Scott Pilgrim series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters and lines belong to Bryan Lee O'Malley and other respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.

**This is a work of fiction, any similarity or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.**

A/N: Man…it's hot in Arizona right now. Wish I was back in California where the weather isn't as…how can I say this… on fire. But the story will continue. Just gotta fight the urge to fall asleep from all the heat. Shoutout to authors **sadcore** and **ApellaZant. **Sadcore is doing a Spanish translation of this story on the site and I gave him the thumbs up. ApellaZant asked me to do something special for his wedding story so I happily accepted it.

* * *

_Voice4TheMute Presents _

"I have an idea. Sadcore." Lisa said as Scott and I looked at each other with confusion.

"Sadcore? As in…?"

"Like…sad hardcore stuff! Like… 'today's a horrible day…' then suddenly PUMP UP THE JAM!" Lisa jumped out of her seat and did a dramatic guitar strum pose in the middle of Ol' Santos' donut shop. There were a few people here today, and all of them were now looking at our table in the middle of the store.

"Oh God…can we not?" I begged as Scott jumped in on Lisa's outburst and did a dramatic guitar strum of his own.

"COME GET SOME!"

"Jesus…I'm surrounded by idiots." I muttered as I lowered my head down on the table and placed my arms on top, hoping no one would recognize me inside the store.

"You guys are the greatest friends ever!" Lisa said as I heard them sit back down in their seats. "I'll get the next round of donuts and milk. Both chocolate right?" Lisa asked as she got up with her purse and hurried off to the cashier before Scott and I can confirm our donuts. As Lisa hurried off, Scott and I looked at each other. He had a carefree smile on his face but mine was a bit more serious.

"How does she not know about us, Scott?" I whispered to him as he instantly shrugged.

"Why are you asking me? You're her best friend." Scott retaliated but that just irked me some more.

"I'M her best friend? You've known her since day one!" I whispered to him, leaning in so I don't have to whisper too loud. "If anything, YOU'RE the one that was suppose to tell her! It's been a week so far and our mutual friend doesn't know about us!"

"Well, what about your friend, Lauren? Does she know?" Scott asked as I nodded.

"She knew that same night." I said to him. "You see, I'm not a bad friend."

"But Lisa is one of your friends right? And she doesn't know about us." Scott reasoned with me. I wrinkled my nose. He got me there.

"I guess we're both guilty of a lie of omission." I said to him as I looked over my shoulder to see Lisa coming back to our table with our donuts and milk.

"Both guilty? Make it seem that I'm the bad guy- hey Lisa! Donuts!" Scott said as he sees Lisa come back to our table.

"Hey you two. Got your donuts." Lisa said as she parked herself between Scott and me…a little closer to Scott though. "What were you two talking about?"

"Um…we're talking about how you got into the Theater Club!" I quickly said, just to make sure Scott didn't blurt out something stupid or irrelevant. Plus I knew this little subject would get Lisa to talk up a storm.

"Oh I know right! I got into Theater Club! The improv they made me do were weird, but I manage to do it!" Lisa said with a lot of excitement. I was happy for her. Theater Club was one of those very exclusive clubs that require rehearsals to get in…and for good reason too. The people in there are really good. They always hold one play each semester that blows people's socks off.

"Wait, you got into Theater Club? When was this?" Scott asked, confused.

"Scott, this happened…twenty minutes ago? We were talking about it as we were walking here, remember?" I said to him as Lisa shook her head.

"…we did?"

"Come on Scott, you should be psyched for her. Getting into Theater Club is one big feat. I never thought you wanted to do theater in the first place." I said to her, rather interested in her decision.

"Well…it's one of those things that I've always wanted to do. The spotlights, the stage, the ability to become someone else. It's all I ever wanted. When they told me that I made the cut, I was speechless. I haven't really taken a risk to do anything for myself. No extra-curricular activities, no real experience in public speaking…in my mind, I couldn't help but think that this may be my calling in life. But it wasn't all me when I did my lines. I had the support of my friends and family behind me, and-"

"I'm going to guess they wanted to see if you could do 'sincere', huh Lisa?" I interjected, feeling that this wasn't the first time that she was saying these lines to us. Lisa laughed nervously, scratching her head.

"Yeah…maybe. They wanted me to act 'sincere' as if they told me that I made the cut. When they actually told me that I made it, well, let's say I wasn't as 'sincere' as I wanted it to be. But I guess they liked that." Lisa laughed at the irony. "But in all seriousness, there's just something about acting that I find…attractive."

"Oh yeah! If you like being in front of people, then you'll definitely like it when our band plays live!" Scott added as Lisa's eyes widen with excitement.

"Totally! Our band it going to rock out so hard…!"

"Um…excuse me? Not to be the bringer of bad news, but I believe we don't even have a name for this 'band' that Scott recruited me in. Also, I don't own a drum set. The school won't exactly give me a set…despite the fact that I'm their best drummer." I said to them, sipping on the milk that Lisa bought for us.

"You're the only drummer they have…"

"Shut up Scott. Not the point. The point is how are we going to practice if I don't have a drum set to practice with?"

"I'm sure we'll think of something. Maybe even 'persuade' the teachers in letting us the set…" Lisa said, rather devilishly.

"Or 'commandeer' a set…" Scott added, rubbing his chin.

"What the? 'Commandeer'? 'Persuade'? You idiots know you're talking to the junior representative of the school, right? You know…a figure of authority for the student body? It's part of my policy to inform…"

"Oh! How about 'sway' a set away from the?"

"Or 'requisition'?"

"Oh! Good one. 'Confiscate'? Nah, that's way to direct. Maybe something along the lines of 'appropriate'."

"You know what? Nevermind. Whatever plan you clowns are thinking of, please leave me out of it." I said to them as Scott and Lisa continued to extend their vocabulary with other words that are synonymous with the word 'steal'. But it irked me on how well they were getting along.

_Well…they did know each other since the first day of school. I guess he would probably feel more comfortable talking to her than me. But come on…you don't have to look THAT comfortable. And look how close she's sitting next to you Scott. She's basically throwing herself on you. I guess I should tell her about us…the last thing I want to do is get her hopes up…_

"Hey Lisa…" I started but then notice something familiar appear in Scott's hand as he pulled out a pink envelope with writing on it. There weren't that many people that would use that kind of letter design, let along that kind of fancy cursive. Suddenly, my concern for Lisa's knowledge about 'us' was a much smaller problem that what is in front of me now. "um…Scott? What is that?"

"Oh, this?" Scott asked as he held up the pink letter. There was no mistake in my mind. That's one of Alice's signature letters. "Um…some girl gave it to me today. She didn't say much. Just told me that I'm suppose to be eating lunch with someone."

"Wait. You're not eating lunch with us tomorrow? Bummer…what am I going to do now?" Lisa complained as continue to stare at the letter.

"Did you open that letter yet?" I asked Scott as he flipped the letter a few times.

"Not yet. Kinda scared to see what's inside." He admitted as Lisa lean towards him, peering at the letter as well.

"Something this fancy, it's probably something really important…or someone wants you dead."

"Dead?"

"For the love of…! It's nothing like that. That letter is from Alice." I said to them as Lisa's gaze shot over to me.

"Alice? THE Alice? What would she want from Scott? Why eat lunch with him. Did you do something to her?" Lisa asked as he retracted away from her.

"What? No! I didn't do anything. I don't even know who this girl is, I swear!" He said, but it felt like that was directed to me. I shook my head, laughing bit internally at the thought of me being jealous of her.

_Curious, yes…but not jealous._

"So are you going to open it? Or just going to admire the calligraphy?" I asked him as he quickly opened the letter and pulled out the piece of paper inside.

"Um…dear Scott Pilgrim. My name is Alice Thomas and I humbly invite you to eat lunch with me tomorrow in the lunch hall. I hear that you're a new student and I wish to get to know you. I'll inform you on school policies, events, important dates, as well as information about the various clubs that make up our campus. Please come to the corner table to the northwest when lunch starts. Please don't bring anyone else. Alice Thomas." Scott read as Lisa and I looked at each other then as Scott with concern.

"I don't like it." Lisa said as I nodded.

"Yeah. This seems very sketchy. Alice isn't one of those girls who would just welcome people like this. She wants something…" I said, giving my input.

"What do you think I should do then?" Scott asked us, looking a bit concerned.

"…I say go."

Scott and Lisa both looked at me with confusion all over their face. Truthfully, I was a bit confused myself, but from a strategic standpoint, it makes sense.

"Well, think about it. Right now, you're the only person that has been invited by Alice to eat with her. I'm sure she'll try to persuade you in a certain way about certain people, but between you and her, you're both starting at zero. It's the perfect way to establish a connection with the higher ups without having to kiss their asses." I said to them.

"I don't get it."

"Networking, Scott. Networking is important in school, and in the real world. The more people you know, the more avenues of information you'll have and the more people you'll have to help you out. Lisa, unfortunately, already screwed herself so there will be no communications between her and Alice and for me…well…let's just say our relationship isn't as strong as it use to be… but you have a chance to establish a connection with her. Even though our views of her are bias, she is a power ally to have."

"Hmm…I don't know…" Scott said, rotating the letter between his fingers.

"I say do it Scott." Lisa added. "Who knows when she might come in handy."

"Well…I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow."

_Life at St Joel's 030: The Worse Kept Secret_

"You think Scott will be ok over there?" Lisa asked as we sat in the middle table in the lunch hall, looking over where Scott and Alice are having their lunch date. For the most part, it seems like a friendly conversation, but it was hard to hear over the other conversations that were taken place all over the room.

"I don't know…" I sighed as I watched the two talking up a storm. "Alice is a very sneaky person. She wouldn't be doing this unless she has some kind of ulterior motive…"

"Do you think she wants to use Scott for something?"

"Again…I don't know. She's an enigma. She's helpful, don't get me wrong. But let's say she doesn't help out without some kind of return payment. Trust me on that." I said to them as I continued to watch them. There were times where I saw Alice look over at me and I just stared right back at her.

"…what is your history with Alice anyways?" Lisa asked me as I broke my stare on her to Lisa.

"Alice and I…well, we use to be friend. Good friends for that matter." I said, taking a sip of my drink.

"Really?"

"Mhmm. Back in freshman year, I had three good friends. Lauren, Clark, and Alice. We were fresh faced students being thrown into this hectic high school life. We kept each other company, joined the same clubs, ate together at the same table…you know, normal friend-bonding experience. Well…somewhere in the story Alice and I had…a spat."

"A spat?"

"I really don't want to get into much detail about it, but that little spat turned into an argument and it broke the group of friends. Clark and Alice went their separate ways and Lauren and I stuck together. We had about a year of buffer between that event and now but still…she's a bitch." I said to her.

"Oh…sorry to hear that." Lisa said to me as we sat in silence. We both looked over at Scott and Alice's table then back at each other. "Um…Kim? Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Go for it."

"…what do you think about Scott?" Lisa asked. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I think he's a clueless idiot…" I said to her. _But he's my clueless idiot._

"No, I mean…you know. Do you think he's a good guy or…?" Lisa trailed. I figured where this conversation was going. And truthfully, this was a great time to fish information.

_Interesting. Asking about Scott huh? She still doesn't know that Scott and I are together. Maybe I should hold the information for now. At least until I can figure out what Scott means for Lisa…_

…_at least for now…_

"Like…do I like him?" I asked her as she leaned in as soon as I said that.

"You like him?" She asked excitedly as I leaned away a bit. "You like Scott Pilgrim?"

"N-No! Quiet Lisa!" I said, trying to get her to lower her voice. There may be other conversations being taken place all around us, but if someone were to hear that, I could be all over conversations will stop so they can eavesdrop on this. "Scott is…something. He's a bit ambitious and he acts before he thinks. But he is responsible though. And he is passionate on what he does…whatever that may be."

"So you like him?" Lisa concluded as I just glared at her.

"What about YOU Lisa? Do you like Scott Pilgrim?" I asked her, moving the interrogation from me to her. She averted her attention away from me before she started to play with her hair. The tall tale signs. It satisfied my curiosity, but it was also one of my worst fears.

"I don't know…maybe." She said, still not wanting to make eye contact. "You're right. He definitely acts before he thinks. He likes to run head first into fights and he sometimes doesn't think of the consequences but…I guess that what makes Scott so different so…appealing."

"Don't you think that'll bite you in the ass in the long run though?" I asked, still wanting to fish for information from Lisa. This just may be a small crush, but I needed to know more. I needed to know that Lisa wouldn't think of taking with Scott from underneath me.

"Maybe. But it does make me feel safe. Having a strong, determined guy like Scott around your finger? He may not be academically smart, but he will come to your aid when you need it. Hell, maybe even when you don't need it. It's just comforting to know that you have someone there to back you up and support you."

"So you do like him, huh?"

"…yeah. I guess I do." She said as I felt my heart sink into a black hole.

"But it's just a small crush. I mean, I've only been here for a couple of months. I'm sure there are other guys that are better than Scott."

"…T-totally." I mindlessly responded.

"This stays between us, right Kim? Please don't go telling Scott about this conversation. I won't tell Scott about your little crush either."

_But I AM dating Scott!_

"Heh…you know. This is nice. Ever since I got here, I haven't been able to do this kind of thing. This gossip stuff. It's nice to have another girlfriend to chat about girl things. I tried once with Scott, but I guess he didn't get what was going on. So thank you Kim. Thank you for being such an awesome friend. I feel that I can tell you anything. I hope you can do the same for me."

_But you don't know that Scott and I HAVE been dating! That just made it SO much harder to tell you! Get it together Kim. You have to tell her. You OWE her that much of your trust._

"Um…Lisa? There's something I…"

"I'll tell you what Kim. I'll talk to Scott after school today. You know…fish for some information about him. I'll tell you everything that I learn about him. See if he's our types. And if he is our types…well, I guess let the best girl win, right?" Lisa winked as I felt my soul die a little inside.

"Lisa? There's something you need to know about Scott and I-"

"Scott! Welcome back! What happen? Did you get kicked out? Did you make a friend? Fill us in stud!" Lisa said as she scooted over, signaling for Scott to sit next to her. I wasn't sure what was more annoying: that she wanted him to sit next to her or that he actually DID sit next to her.

"Well, it went well I guess. We talked about things. I told her where I came from, she told me where she came from. We talked about likes, dislikes, stuff from the past. She filled me in on clubs, school spirit, the rivalry between St Joel and Benvie Tech…"

"That's it?" I asked, surprised that there wasn't anything else to it.

"Yeah…it was just a normal conversation." Scott said as I looked over at Lisa.

"…something's amidst here. There's no way that could be all." I said to Scott as there was a shocked expression on his face.

"What?"

"Yeah…something's not right Scott. What else did you two talk about?" Lisa asked as Scott looked over at her with the same expression.

"That's it! I swear! We talked about school, our lives, homework. I swear to you that there was nothing weird. She didn't ask about you Lisa or about Kim. All questions were about me. That's it. I swear to it." Scott said to us, but I didn't buy it.

_Something's not right. She got information about Scott and that's it. Apart from the obvious fact that she wanted information about the new kid, what else could she have wanted from Scott._

"Well…if that's all you talked about. Then I guess I'm ok with it." I said to him as Lisa raised her eyebrow.

"You think she doesn't mean any harm?"

"Well…no. But Scott is a mystery to her. Best if she gets info first and then ask him for something later. He'll probably have to prove his usefulness to her before he springs something." I said to her as Lisa got up.

"Well…I'm going to the restroom. I'll be right back." She said as she left Scott and me alone. I raised an eyebrow at Scott as he shrugged at me.

"What? I swear that's all she asked me. Just wanted to know why I transferred here, what classes I'm taking, and if there were any clubs that I was interested in."

"Ok! Ok! I believe you…"

"…oh. She did ask about you and me." Scott added as I started to choke on my drink.

"Ack!" I coughed as the red flag in my mind came up. "W-What did you say? What did she wanted to know?"

"She asked if I was going out with you."

"And what did you say?"

"Yeah."

I blinked a few times before I slowly lowered my drink and picked up a muffin I was saving for later. In one swift motion, I threw the muffin at Scott and nailed him in the middle of his face.

"Scott! How could you tell her that!" I yelled at him.

"What? Was I suppose to lie?"

"Yes! Yes! Tell her you're lying! Go! Now!" I said to him as I turned my head to look at Alice. She was staring at us, a sly smile on her face as she looked back at her food and continued to eat. "Oh this is not good…"

"What? Why?"

"You don't understand. You NEVER tell anything to Alice that you don't want to make public. Once she knows, EVERYONE will know!" I said to him as he continued to look at me with confusion.

"I…still don't get it. I mean, don't we want people to know that we're dating so that no one hits on you or something?"

"Scott. Lisa STILL doesn't know about us! You know how BAD it will be if she finds out from other people and NOT from her supposed best friends? Bad things. Bad things will happen. And…well…" I said, getting nervous. "I kinda…screwed things up with her as well…"

"What? What did you say?" Scott asked.

_Oh crap! I promised I wouldn't say anything to him about her feelings…!_ "Um…nevermind! But we gotta find Lisa and tell her first before anyone else can tell her!"

"But why would anyone talk about us? It's just some couple in school? Who cares?"

"First, thanks a lot for degrading our relationship to 'who cares'. But second…not to brag…but this is me we're talking about." I said to him.

"I still don't see…"

"Scott, I'm going to punch you so hard in the face…! Look, I'm not exactly the most…charming person in the world. I'm a bit quiet, I voice out my opinions, and I'm not exactly the most 'figured' girl on campus. But the reason they will talk is because of the whole 'Benvie Tech' incident that happened last week."

"You mean that nerdy kid I punched in the face."

"Yeah…that." I said, painfully remembered the incident and all the pain I caused to those around me. "They will wonder if the past will repeat itself or if Benvie Tech might come back. Teachers and officials are unsure about what went on, but everyone in school knew it had to do something with me. They'll wonder if you and I getting together will provoke more hostility between St. Joel and Benvie Tech."

"Even if it does, I'll take care of them…!"

"Not the point. The point is people will talk and if Lisa overheard anything, we'll be in deep trouble. We have to run interference. We have to make sure we are the ones that tell her before…LISA! Hey! Welcome back!" I stopped myself as I saw Lisa come back and sat back down with us.

"Um…hey guys. So what were you talking about?" Lisa asked as I looked over at Scott.

"Lisa, there's something that Scott and I have to tell you. We're-" I started but then the bell run, indicating the end of lunch.

"Oh shoot. I gotta get to class early today. I promised Professor Akin that I'll help setup for her class. Just tell me later!" Lisa said as she collected her stuff really fast and started to run towards the exit. "I'll just see you guys after school! We're going to the Nothing Club classroom afterall!"

"Lisa!" I called as she disappeared out of sight. "Dammit…wait." I said as I turned to Scott. "You actually got a classroom for your stupid club?"

"My club is not stupid!"

* * *

"Dammit, where's Lisa…" I muttered as Scott and I walked down the hall after school, heading towards the alleged clubroom of the Nothing Club. Throughout the entire day, I felt on edge, hoping and praying people would keep their mouth shut until we find her.

"Maybe no one knows about it yet. I mean, it's only been three hours. How fast can a rumor spread around here anyways?" Scott asked me. I was about to answer, but I was cut off by the sudden appearance of Lauren.

"Hey Kim. Hey Scott. Heard things are now official. I gotta say, I never thought I would see the day were Kim would be open about her relationships. Well, I'll see you guys later. Gotta head out!" She said quickly as she left us.

"Whoa…that's fast." Scott said as I nudged him.

"Idiot. She KNEW about us already. I told her. She's my best friend afterall…" I muttered as we continued to walk.

"PILGRIM!"

Scott and I turned around to see the Bruisers right behind us with the hands in their pockets.

"What do you guys want?" Scott growled, his fist looking like they were ready to do some talking.

"At ease, Pilgrim. We're not here to fight. We're here to congratulate you." Austin said they walked over to us. "We wanted to congratulate you on your new relationship. Who knew you had what it takes to nail the prude, flat chested, red-head-"

POW

Before I knew it, Scott already landed a close fist punch straight into Austin's nose. The rumors about Scott's temper were true. He really does fight first before he ask questions. I knew Austin and the bunch likes to crack jokes but never would I thought that Scott would retaliate so fast.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO MY GIRLFRIEND LIKE THAT, FATTY!" Scott yelled at the top of his voice as Austin staggered backwards. Andrew and Edward caught their leader in mid-fall and helped him get back on his feet. Austin's nose was bleeding, but didn't seem too hurt from the punch.

"S-Scott! We gotta get out of here! We're making a scene!" I yelled at him as I grabbed his hand and started tugging at it, trying to get him to move. But he was rooted in place and ready to fight.

"Arg! Dammit that hurt! I'm going to beat you down so hard!" Austin growled as he kept one hand on his face while his two lackeys tried to hold him steady.

"Bring it!" Scott yelled as I continued to tug as his arm.

"Scott! Please! There's a time and place for everything! But now's definitely not the time!" I said to him, squeezing his hand as tightly as I could. "We must find Lisa, remember?" I heard Scott growl loudly before his legs started to give in with my tugging.

"Just remember this, Bruisers. I'll take you guys on any day, any time. But don't expect any mercy from me! Especially if you're going to insult my girlfriend!"

"Scott! Stop announcing that! You'll make the rumors spread faster! Let's go!" I said to him as we started to run down the hallway.

"S-Sorry! Um…this way!" Scott said as he stopped suddenly and then pulled me in a different direction. We started to head down another hallway and took another left turn into an empty classroom. "Whew…we made it…"

"Scott…I can't…what you did back there." I stammered. It was the first time someone came to my defense. I knew Austin's remarks were just for show, but actually having someone fight back…especially for me…it was a unique experience. It made me feel safe and wanted. "I…thank-"

"No problem, Kim. You are my girlfriend, right?" Scott said as he looked down at his hand which I still had it tightly clasp. I felt my face turn red and released his hand. It was the first public displace of affection I did with Scott.

"I…sorry. I'm still kinda embarrassed and…stuff…" I muttered as he smiled rather stupidly at me.

"Well, I don't mind holding hands with you. I actually like it."

"Yeah, well I still have to get use to it, ok? So don't push your luck."

"Hello you two! Welcome to the Nothing Club!" I voice called from behind us. I felt myself get embarrassed as I turned around to see Professor Monroe sitting at the teacher's desk.

"Wha…?"

"Oh! This is the classroom of Professor Monroe. World studies. He agreed we can use his classroom for official club business!" Scott said excitedly as I walked around the classroom. I took world studies from another teacher so this classroom was new to me.

"Give me a sec, you guys. I'm going to go find Lisa. Be back in a flash!" Scott said as he rushed out of the classroom, leaving me with Professor Monroe.

"Scott, wait!" I called, but he was gone before I could finish my sentence. I sighed as I walked over to the nearest desk and sat down.

"Trouble in paradise?" I heard Professor Monroe ask as he got up and walked over to where I was sitting and sat down in the desk next to me. "I heard the rumors that you and Mr. Pilgrim are an item. Allow me to congratulate you two…"

"Please don't, sir." I said, rubbing my temples. "I'm guessing the entire faculty knows about this as well?"

"Unfortunately. Ms. Thomas and her friends are very good at channeling information. But even if this wasn't exactly the way you wanted people to find out, you shouldn't feel bad about it. People know, people will respect your space…now more than ever since Scott if your boyfriend."

"That's true…but…"

"…but?"

"…but how do I know this is the right thing? I mean…I just got out of a serious relationship and now I'm suddenly in another one. What happens if this doesn't work out? What happens if this ends up like how my previous relationship ended up? Am I making a big mistake by rushing it so fast? Not only that, but our friend Lisa doesn't know about us while the entire school is in an uproar about it. What will she say knowing that she's probably the last to know." I said to him. I felt his hand gently patted my shoulder.

"Well…I'm no relationship advisor…but I do know that you took the risk for a reason, right? I like to think we're in control of our own thoughts and actions. 'The right place at the right time'…it's a nice concept in theory, but what makes it 'the right place at the right time' is the decision that we end up making. You chose Scott for a reason. He must be special to you. So ignore whatever doubt you have in your mind and take a chance. I believe the saying goes 'better of have love and lose, than never have loved at all'."

"…thanks Professor Monroe." I said to him as he patted my shoulder once more before getting up. Scott and Lisa soon entered the door.

"Kim! Is it true?"

I sighed as I figured that Scott must have told her about us. I hung my head a little low as I got up nodded my head.

"Yeah…it's true…"

"I don't believe it. I mean…I knew this would happen sooner or later, but never thought that-"

"Yeah. I'm sorry Lisa. I was really hoping that I would tell you first rather than Scott telling you…" I admitted. "But I'm glad you know. We're sorry…"

"But congratulations are in order, right? Scott and Kim's relationship is just beginning and we should all be excited for them. They are now taking their first step forward towards a brighter-"

"Wait, excuse me Professor Monroe? Scott and Kim? What are you talking about…?" Lisa asked as Scott and I stared at Lisa with disbelief at Lisa then at Professor Monroe.

"I…um…I guess…er…" He stammered before looking around the room. "…excuse me." He quickly walks passed us and right out the door, ditching the problem he just created for Scott and me. Lisa's expression said it all. She was in shock.

"Um…Lisa?"

"Lisa…are you ok?" I asked as I walked towards her, hoping she doesn't slap me in the fast.

"I thought you were talking about the fight between Scott and the Bruisers." Lisa said as she look between Scott and me. "Are you two…really dating? This whole time?" I wasn't sure what to do. We were caught with our pants down. I walked right next to Scott so she doesn't have to keep moving her head back and forth.

"…yes. We're going out Lisa." I said as I felt Scott's hand touch mine. Professor's Monroe's voice echoed in my head.

"_So ignore whatever doubt you have in your mind and take a chance. I believe the saying goes 'better of have love and lose, than never have loved at all'."_

I reached over and took Scott's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry that we didn't tell you sooner, Lisa. I mean…we just got together last week. We're still a little…'new' to the relationship thing." I admitted it to her.

"Yeah…sorry for not telling you sooner Lisa. Things have been hectic to tell you…"

"Have you guys kissed yet…?"

"Huh?"

"Have you guys kissed yet?" Lisa asked again, looking rather intently at us. Scott and I looked at each other as Scott answered to her,

"Yeah…we have."

"Do you…mind if you can kiss in front of me now?" She asked us. I felt embarrassed by the request as Scott looked at me, trying to figure out what we should do.

"Well…if you want us to. I mean…I guess it's the least we can do. You know…for not telling you." Scott responded. I knew how bad this would be. Lisa, moments ago, admitted that she has a crush on Scott. If she sees us kiss…that will do numbers to her psyche.

"Scott, I don't think…" I tried to stop him but Lisa interjected.

"Kim…please. I know what you're thinking…but don't worry. I just want to see if it's true."

"Lisa…I…"

"Kim, please. For me." Lisa pleaded. I knew this will bring nothing but bad news. But there was no escape now. We both looked at each other before I took the incentive to move up and gently kiss him on the lips. I felt my heart grow warm doing that kiss…but at the same time I felt another heart grow cold from it.

"…ok. I approve."

"Y-you approve?" Scott asked as Lisa reached over and gave us a two-person hug. I was taken back by this and I'm sure Scott wasn't expecting it either.

"Yup. I approve of you guys. I'm actually kind of touch by what you two have. It looks genuine, real, no complications. And I will support you guys one hundred percent! I knew that sooner or later he was going to pick you Kim…the only thing I regret is not playing a bigger role in getting you two together. But now that you are, I will support you guys from the sidelines and do whatever I can to help support your relationship!" She said to us, rather happily.

"A-are you serious?" I asked, still dumbstruck by her little speech.

"Of course Kim. You guys are my best friends. I want nothing more than to wish you guys the absolute best!"

I sighed with relief and then smiled as I returned Lisa's hug with my own. Scott also returned the hug, probably sighed a sigh of relief as well.

"I can't believe it! You two? Together! That's huge news! God! So excited for you guys!"

"It's good to know that you understand Lisa…" Scott said as Lisa's passionate hug suddenly turned into a very excited hug.

_It's great that Lisa supports us. It takes a load off my mind…_

…_but I can't help but feel that her sincere_ _speech…_

…_was nothing more than an act._

"…because now I won't feel as bad when I tell you that both you and Kim are not invited to Alice's party this weekend!" Scott said, rather excitedly. This killed the mood of the room really fast.

"…wait, what?"

* * *

To Be Continued…

A setup chapter for another multi-part chapter. So stay tuned for **Life at St. Joel's 031a: chapter title pending**


	9. Party Crashers a

Disclaimer: I do not own the Scott Pilgrim series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters and lines belong to Bryan Lee O'Malley and other respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.

**This is a work of fiction, any similarity or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.**

* * *

"I have a plan How about we just jump the fence?" I said aloud as Kim slowly approached me from the left. She was crouched down with me, trying to stay hidden within the bushes we were in. Why were we hiding in the bushes you might ask? Well…

"Genius move there Miller, but I'll bet you anything that someone will spot us and rat us out. This is Alice Thomas' house afterall. Worse, this is Dean Thomas' house. Can you imagine the trouble we'll get if we get caught? This is fool-proof. You'll see." Kim said as we looked at the white, tow story house across the street from where we hid. There were various cars parked in the driveway and along the street. Through the windows, silhouettes of people could be seen, all talking to each other, dancing, or moving to other parts of the house. If looked like a wild party…a party that Kim and I weren't invite to.

"Where the hell is Dean Thomas anyways? I mean…does he even know that his daughter is holding this underage drinking party in his house?" I pondered as I see Kim scooting forward, trying to get a better view of the house.

"Rumor has it that Dean Thomas and his wife went on a business trip for the weekend. Whenever this happens, Alice takes full advantage of it: calls up all her friends, invites all the 'cool' people, pulls all the favors…you know, typical party scenario."

"I'm cool…" I said to myself.

"Yes, but she doesn't think so. Afterall, you did spray her with soda."

"Well, she didn't invite you because of Scott." I added, but she turned to me and glared.

"That hasn't been proven yet!" Kim said as she looked back at the house. If I had to bet, I would say she was trying to find Scott's silhouette through the window pane. But I can understand her worry. Underage drinking in a house full of girls? The reputation of beating the Bruisers single-handedly? That's a bit unnerving, especially in a new relationship. I'm worried about Scott as well…but never would I think that quiet, shy Kim Pine would plan something this elaborate to get in. If not elaborate, then very simple in theory. But simple doesn't mean easy. "Ok Lisa, are you ready?"

"Ready Kim. You know…you sure you want to do this?" I asked her. She was silent for a minute before turning her head towards me and nodded.

"I just have to know Lisa."

"Ok. I'm behind you one hundred percent!" I said to her, giving a reassuring smile. Kim shot back a smile at me as well.

"Thanks Lisa." She said a she looked over my head. "You guys ready to go?"

"About time Red. For a minute I thought you two were going to share a moment. Come on Bruisers, let's make a nuisance of ourselves!" Austin said as Edward and Andrew shot out of the bushes and headed towards the house.

The Joel Bruisers? Helping us out?

Well…I guess I should start at the beginning…

_Life at St. Joel's 032a: Party Crashers_

_Couple of days ago…one minute after the events that occurred in the Nothing Club…_

"…wait, what?" Kim said in disbelief as we stood there in the Nothing Club clubroom.

"Um…you guys aren't invited to Alice's party?" Scott reiterated as Kim rubbed her temples. Quite frankly, I knew I would never get invited to things Alice holds but my curiosity shifted to why Kim seems so troubled by this.

"Dammit, what is that girl planning?" Kim said out loud as she walked over to the closes desk to sit.

"What's wrong Kim? I mean, there will be other parties." Scott said as she walked over and pulled a seat next to her. It's only been a minute since I learn that my two best friends were dating and I would talk to them more about how they hooked up and et cetera but my curiosity about Kim and Alice has taken over once again.

_She did say that Alice and her were once friends, but something must have come between them. Maybe it was a boy? Academics? Maybe it was a fight over food_? Why could have cause the rift between them?

"You guys don't understand." Kim said as she leaned her head backwards and sighed. "ever since she hosted these parties, this is the first time I'm not getting invited."

"Wow, jealous much?"

"that's not it, Scott." She said as she brought her head back forward. "Something doesn't feel right this time. It is as if she's making sure I don't come this time, despite going to all of them in the past."

"What I don't get is WHY she invited you to these parties in the first place. I thought you two weren't 'friends'." I asked her ass he nodded in agreement.

"We may not be 'good' friends, but she knows I'm not the type of person that would cause her trouble. I hold a grudge against her, and she holds one against me, but we both have this 'rapport' with each other. She wouldn't be where she is without me and I wouldn't be here without her. A mutual agreement of non-hostility. Or at least I thought until now.

"So what happens at these parties? Like…video games and pizza? Does she have a pool?" Scott said as I, too, was curious.

"You're a junior in high school, Scott. What do you think happens at these parties? Kim said, sitting upright. "Loud music, dancing, alcohol, people hooking up…you know…the usual party scene you can imagine an adolescent high school party would be."

"Wait a minute. Those things happen around here?" Scott said, very surprise with the words that were coming out of Kim's mouth. "And you were invited to these things every time? Partake in them even?"

"Scott, I'm a sixteen year-old, pubescent girl. I may be in the student council, but that doesn't mean I'm perfect. I get curious. I have needs. Deal with it."

"Whoa…crazy to think our Kim Pine likes to drink alcohol, smoke, and make out with total strangers!" I said as Kim glared at me.

"Just the alcohol and the music. The rest of them can kill themselves for all I care." She said, still staring at me. "Never gotten so drunk where I blacked out, but I have gotten to a point where I sat on the floor and refused to get up."

"M-My girlfriend drinks alcohol…I don't know this woman at all."

"D-Don't judge me! What about you? 'Oh, look at me. I'm Scott Pilgrim. I like to get into fights, rebel against teachers, and make pointless clubs.'" Kim said in an intentionally bad impersonation of Scott. Scott wrapped is arm around Kim's head and playfully headbutted her.

"My club isn't pointless! Take that back!"

"You're club is formed around nothing…literally!" She laughed as they both started to laugh together. It was a cute scene for the two of them. So why do I feel a bit betrayed by this?

"S-So what are you going to do?" I said, ending their little display of puppy love. "Both Kim and I feel something is amidst. And to refuse a request from Alice isn't ideal."

"I say you go."

"WHAT?" Scott and I said together, surprised by Kim's response.

"Something I learned. If you can get Alice Thomas on your side, then life will flow a lot smoother if you. And seeing Scott's reputation around here, he'll need all the help he can get. Now that the students AND the faculty know that we're going out, my voice to cover for you is highly compromised. Having Alice on your side…" Kim sighed, "…will not only help you but help everyone in the long run."

"But Kim, you said it yourself. Dancing, drinking, people hooking up…?"

"That's why I truth you'll behave yourself. Please Scott…" Kim said to him. Kim was either very trusting or very foolish for letting Scott go to this party alone. But no matter what front she puts up, I know deep down she is scared of what MIGHT happen. I was scared too. But what could I do…I'm bared from the party as well.

"O-ok Kim." Scott said. "…is there anything specific you want me to-"

"Just get on Alice's good side, ok? Within reason of course."

"Of course…" Scott said as he looked up at the time. "Shoot, I have to get going. I have to walk my sister home from school."

"You have a sister?" Kim asked. I knew he had a sister…I'm surprised that Kim didn't know.

"Yeah, I'll see you guys tomorrow?" Scott asked as we both said 'yeah'. He then leaned down and gave Kim a quick, but soft kiss on the lips. Kim didn't kiss back…I don't think she saw it coming.

"S-Scott!"

"Bye!" Scott quickly said as he left the classroom, leaving me slightly bothered and Kim very embarrassed.

"G-G-God, Scott. Can't just do that in front of people…" Kim muttered.

"Not down with the public display of affection, huh?" I said to her, laughing nervously as I saw her freckled cheeks turn red.

"I'm…I'm not use to it. At least not yet. Stupid Scott Pilgrim."

"Well, he's an idiot, but at least he's your idiot." I said as I started to head to the door. I heard the desk chair slide across the ground. Kim must have gotten out of her chair.

"Wait. You're going?"

"Yeah, it's getting late."

"the buses are gone by now. You're going to walk home by yourself?"

"I wouldn't say 'walk'. I plan to skate home."

"Skate? You have rollerblades?" Kim asked, slightly confused.

"No way. Skateboard baby! Been skating all my life. Got me the skateboard proficiency when I was young." I said to her, holding up my thumb and winking.

"Skateboard proficiency? That sounds like something Scott would say…" She said. It wasn't suppose to be a complement…not with her tone of voice.

"Heh, guess Scott and I are a lot similar than I thought." I said as I opened the door to leave the classroom. "See ya tomorrow, Kimmy!"

"K-Kimmy? Don't call me Kimmy!"

_The truth is…I didn't have to leave at that moment. I wanted to be alone right now. Alone with my thoughts. Scott and Kim. Scot and Kim…together. I know what I said back there…giving them my fully support. But is that what I really wanted? Arg! And I told Kim at lunch that I may have feelings for Scott! She was already dating him when that happened! No wonder it took her this long to tell me! Dammit…what do I do now? Kim knows I have feelings for Scott. I can only hope that feint I set up at the clubroom deterred her from those thoughts._

I got to my locker and opened it, taking out my books and the skateboard Scott let me borrow for the time being. It was his brother's, but he said it was ok.

_They are my best friends…my ONLY friends. I can't do anything that will hurt them or split them up. I should support them…be happy with them…be happy…_

I felt something on my face. I reached up and touched it softly.

Tears.

There were tears coming from my eyes.

_No…no! Stop! I must Stop! They're my friends. If they leave me, I'll be alone again! I…I must be happy for them. But…_

"Why does it hurt so much…to be happy for them…?"

* * *

"Where's Scott? Isn't this his favorite period in school?" A confused Kim Pine said as she took a seat next to me.

"You mean lunch period? Can't say it's a class, Ms. Junior Rep."

"Oh shut up, I was trying to be funny." Kim said to me as she took out Tupperware filled with food. "but in all seriousness, do you know where Scott is?"

"He went to find out how to rent the drum set. If we can't secure you the drums, how are we going to practice?" I said to her.

"Wait, you're serious about the whole band thing? I thought it was one of those five word sayings we will all say in our lifetime. 'We should start a band.' 'I can jump that far.' 'Hold my beer, watch this.' 'What the hell is that?' You know, thing we say are cool but in the end, will screw us over."

"No way Kim! We were dead serious. We've been practicing but we could only do some much without drums. As soon as we get it, Sonic and Knuckles will take off! Straight to the moon!" I said, striking a dramatic pose for her.

"Sonic and Knuckles? Are we seriously calling ourselves that?"

"It was Scott's idea."

"Oh…that figures." Kim said, taking a sip of her drink. "Well, good luck to him. That set in the auditorium is the only pair we have as a school. I may be part of the school's band but even I can't secure private practice time with it. I have to resort to beating on books and bowls around my room for practice." Kim said, rather depressed about it.

"you really like playing the drums that much, Kim?"

"It's grown on me. At first, it was an avenue to relieve stress from school but the more I played, the more I got hooked. The drums is the beat setter for the band and it is essential for…well, any song. Granted, the lead guitarist and the vocals get most of the attention but without the drums, the band is nothing. Important responsibility without being the headliner…that's what the drums are to me and I would say that it matches me perfectly."

"It's funny how things that we do out of whim because something so big in our lives…" I said as I took a sip of my own drink. "I hope Scott can find a way to get the drums."

"It's a long process which will eventually require a signature from Dean Thomas. Or should I say a stamp signature from dean Thomas. There is no way he'll sign off the request for Scott." Kim signed. I looked back at my food and continued to eat with Kim in silence. A good time passed before Kim would speak again.

"So why do you think you weren't invite to the party, Lisa?"

"Hmm? I'm going to go with 'the hosing of Alice with soda'. Then she told me, er, yelled at me and anyone in earshot that she will personally see to it that I will never have any friends at this school." I said, shuddering at bit. "…so alone."

"D-Don't say that! I'm your friend!" Kim said to me. "I just…I wonder why I wasn't invited. Usually I am…but why now? What changed between now and then?"

"You really want to know?" I said to Kim, having a hunch what it could be.

"You know?"

"I have a theory…"

"Well, what do you think?"

"It's Scott. It has to be Scott." I said to her. She didn't respond right away. Either she was in shock or thinking about it way to much in her head. "…or it could be because you hang out with me But if we put money on it, I would say that it's because of your relationship with Scott Pilgrim."

"My relationship with Scott? She's jealous of Scott and me?"

"Who knows, maybe? Scott's reputation may be bad, but he's not painted as a bully. Since you're in ASB, the rumors and discussions are kept out of your ear. But I can hear them. Scott's no bully, but he's no pushover either. Apart from him being…well…him, Scott Pilgrim has been labeled as a …how can I put this in their own words… a 'hottie'." This mad Kim laugh out laugh in her seat.

"Scott? A hottie? That's rich!"

"Laugh all you want, but that's what I'm hearing. When word got out yesterday that he was dating you, jealous reared its ugly head. Some even said that they wanted to split you two up!"

"What? T-They wouldn't!"

"Probably not. They're all talk anyways. But what Alice is doing…inviting Scott to a party and purposely banning the girlfriend? Doesn't that seem fishy?" This made Kim think…and she was thinking hard. She didn't respond what I tried to talk to her some more.

"K-Kim? Hello? Earth to Kim?"

"Oh! Kim! Lisa! Hey guys. What's up?" A voice called behind me. I turned around to see Lauren coming up from behind.

"Hey Lauren. Come sit."

"Thanks. So what were you two talking about?" Lauren asked as she stared at the unresponsive Kim Pine. "What's with her?"

"We were talking about Alice's party this weekend. We didn't get invited."

"Ouch. That sucks. I'm surprised Kim didn't get the invite. She's usually the first person to get it. Is that why she's like that?" Lauren pointed at Kim but I shook my head.

"Nah, that was my doing. We were wondering why Scott was invited and not Kim and I said it was probably because they were going out."

"And you think Alice is trying to steal Scott away from her? Hmm. Yeah, I can see that happening." Lauren said, nodding in agreement. "It's a good thing Scott is a devoted boyfriend, right Kim?"

"I don't know…too soon to tell. Besides, there will be alcohol there. That stuff as some weird effects on people. Personally, I don't know, but I've seen movies. Alcohol is bad juju." I said as Lauren laughed.

"Oh tell me about it. I get really happy and giggly when I feel tipsy."

"Haha, I would love to see that. So what's Kim like with she has a few? Is she actually nicer or have we been seeing 'nice' Kim all this time?" I laughed, knowing Kim wouldn't retaliate in her shocked state.

"Oh my. Kim tipsy, even drunk is quite the scene. Last party she-"

"I want to crash that party…"

Both Lauren and I stopped talking and looked over at Kim.

"W-What?"

"I WANT TO CRASH THAT PARTY!" Kim yelled, slamming her hands down and standing up from her seat.

"Shh! Shh! Kim! The walls have ears! Please calm down!"

* * *

_Two cartons of chocolate milk later…_

"I-I-I can't let him go in there alone. She'll try to take him away from me. She'll give him alcohol and seduce him, I know it!" Kim rambled as Lauren and I were sitting behind her, rubbing her back for comfort.

"There there Kim. Nothing is going to happen. Right Lisa?"

"Totally! I was just messing around! It's definitely because you're hanging out with me!"

"But I hang out with you guys and I got invited." Lauren noted.

"Helping or hurting, Lauren? Helping or hurting? The point is Scott has morals and he won't allow himself to be manipulated, especially to a girl like her!"

"I told Scott to do whatever it takes to get on her good side…what if he…!"

"Within reason! You told him that Kim!" I said to her as she slowly rested her head on the table.

"We need to crash that party…"

"Well, we can't just waltz in. I'm sure she'll have some kind of bouncer or something at the door. We lack the muscle and the figure to fight or flash the guards." I sad, feeling a bit depressed now about my body.

"Muscle?" Lauren said, thinking.

"What is it Lauren?"

"I think I knew where we can find muscle."

* * *

"Here we are." Lauren said as she opened the door to a classroom. Both Kim and I walked into the dark room that got even darker when Lauren closed the door.

"Well well well…Lisa. Lauren. Red. What brings you to our humble classroom?"

"That voice..! It can't be…!" I said as a flash of light beamed down from the ceiling to the middle of the classroom to reveal Austin sitting there, like a king sitting on his throne.

"Welcome to our clubroom, ladies. How can the Joel Bruisers serve you?"

* * *

To Be Continued…

And so ends this chapter of Life at St. Joel's. Now we wonder what are Alice's plans for Scott. Are the theories true? Does she want to wing Scott away from Kim or maybe it's something deeper than that! Well, you'll all know soon enough as soon as I find time to type it out!

Until Next Time…!


	10. Party Crashers b

Disclaimer: I do not own the Scott Pilgrim series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters and lines belong to Bryan Lee O'Malley and other respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.

**This is a work of fiction, any similarity or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.**

A/N: I can already hear it…"V4tM! This isn't an update to **The Final Farewell**! Update it please! PLEASE!" Well! I wanted to finish up this arc before I decide to finish up **The Final Farewell**. So…here is the conclusion to Party Crashers! After this, I promise to finish **The Final Farewell** so that's what is coming up in the next few weeks. Also, **THERE IS A POLL ON MY PROFILE! **The reason this is in bold/caps is because I'm sure you guys have read both of my M-rated stories. I actually want to write another chapter for one of those stories, but I'm interested in which one you want to see get that second chapter. Review below or vote on my profile!

* * *

_Voice4TheMute Presents…_

"Welcome to our clubroom, ladies. How can the Joel Bruisers serve you?" Austin said to us as the room slowly got brighter, revealing Edward and Andrew off to the side messing with the lighting controls in the room. Lauren, Kim, and I slowly approached Austin while keeping each other close by. Being a girl in this room feels no bueno…hell, I'm sure no girl has ever entered this room. As we got closer, you could see the smug look Austin had on his face as his two friends joined his side, having their arms crossed across their bodies.

"We request your assistance, Bruisers." Kim started.

"Denied. Now get out." Both Lauren and I were surprised by how fast that answer came. However, it would seem that Kim expected that response as she didn't display any kind of reaction to the denial.

"It regards the party that Alice Thomas is throwing this weekend." Kim continued.

"We're not hired body guards, girlie. Now get out." Edward said.

"Denied again. We could care less about Alice's party. We don't need to risk something that has a chance for us to get expelled. Underage drinking and smoking? In the Dean's house? She will have cameras you know. Visual proof if we show up and 'commandeer' her alcohol." Austin said to us. This was a lost cause. They didn't want to help and I personally thought we were wasting our lunch time. But Kim held her position.

"I can grant you safe passage."

Everyone in the room was surprised by this statement.

_Kim? Helping out the Bruisers? Is she THAT desperate for their help?_

"What did you say?"

"Did I stutter? I said I can grant you safe passage. Guaranteed protection that there will be no visible proof that you were there, other than the whisper of students and rumors. If the time arises where it is questioned where you guys were…" Kim took a deep breath. "…I will vouch on your behalf." That was another bombshell of a statement, but Austin was smiling at the idea.

"Well well, Red. Could it be that little miss perfect has fallen to the dark side? Is this Pilgrim's doing? If so…I'm very impressed. Too bad you decided to hook up with him. We could have made beautiful music together."

_Yeah…that's not creepy at all…_

"Heard the dark side had cookies. So do we have a deal?" Kim asked, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently. I've never seen Kim like this. Yes, I've seen her work hard on her studies…and lecture Scott and me about how lazy we are, but I've never seen Kim be so persistent and pushy. Was this all because of Scott? Has he really influence Kim this much in the week of them dating?

"Deal. You grant us safe passage and we'll protect you." Austin said to us. I couldn't believe it. The Bruisers were helping _US_ out?

"I didn't say we need bodyguards." Kim said, getting the attention of the trio again. "Your job is simple. All you need to do is distract the bouncers in the front of the house."

"That's it?"

"Once Lisa and I get through the front door, your job is officially over. From there, I could care less what you do. Crash the party with us, consume all the food and alcohol, urinate on the walls…I don't care. But I can guarantee that you'll get away with it." Kim said, in a very serious tone. This only made the Bruisers smile even wider. However, this made my impression on Kim go down.

_Kim…have you always been this manipulative?_

"Now that's an offer we can't refuse! Even though we hate your boyfriend, you can hang with us anytime, Red. But if you betray us…"

"You have my word Bruisers."

"Well then, boys. Looks like we have a job. We're going to help these ladies out and party like rock star!" Austin cheered as the rest of them high-fived each other in excitement. Kim started to head towards the door and Lauren and I followed right behind her. Here I thought Kim was a silent, innocent, play-by-the-rules kind of girl…but what I just saw…this completely changed my impression on her.

"Hey, RED!" We all turned around to see Austin standing up and starting, rather intently, at Kim.

"Yes, Austin?"

"If one of the bouncers happens to be Clark…"

"…do what you have to do." She said, in a rather dark tone, as we left the room. I manage to catch a glimpse of Austin's face before we left the room. He was smirking…almost impressed on what Kim just said. As we got out of the classroom, the lunch bell rang over our heads. "Damn, out of time. I still need to think things over. Ok, meet us at lunch again tomorrow, Lauren. I'll have everything ready." She said as Kim headed off to class. Lauren and I walked together since we both had class together this period.

"Hey Lauren?"

"Yeah Lisa?"

"Has Kim always been like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like this sinister, cunning, very sly girl. I mean, I feel that the Kim Pine I saw in there was completely different than what I know." I said to her as we rounded the corner.

"Hmm…sorta. She's very crafty and will exploit a loophole if she finds one. I mean, this semester she found a way to make a four-day-a-week class turn into a two-day-a-week class. But I must say…she really must be worried about Scott if she enlisted the Bruisers AND found a loophole for them to stay safe. She's really thinking seriously about this. Maybe something awaken the dark side of Kim. Like a 'shadow' version of her. Kinda exciting, if not very scary." Lauren said, almost too happy to see this side of her best friend.

"Shadow Kim? Come on Lauren. Get real."

"Yeah, that seems too cartoonish. But still, I am worried about her and this new scheming thing has going on." Lauren said as we made it to the classroom.

"Why?"

"I just hope she doesn't use this opportunity to enact revenge." She said as she walked into the classroom.

_R-Revenge?_

_Life at St. Joel's 032b: Party Crashers_

"_**Ok everyone. Gather around"**_

"_**Wait…what about Scott? Shouldn't he be here with us? At least know the plan?"**_

"_**It's best if he doesn't know, Lisa. He might make things harder on us."**_

"_**But what if he comes over to us right now while we are planning? I mean…the Bruisers are here as well."**_

"_**I wouldn't worry about that. Austin, Edwards and I took care of him before coming here. He'll find himself in a locked janitor's locker if he comes to before lunch ends. We have the combination so it's all good."**_

"_**That's not what I'm worried about!"**_

"_**Lisa, please. Bruisers, can you NOT kill my boyfriend?"**_

"_**Fine…"**_

"_**Thank you. Now down to business. We'll rendezvous two hours after the initial time set by Alice. We'll be super fashionably late to this party. Lauren, I want you to get there on time and text me who is working the front door."**_

"_**Got it."**_

"_**Also, if you can, find Michelle and Britney and make sure their drinks are topped off at all times. Take shots with them if you have to. But please watch your own limit."**_

"_**You got it."**_

"_**Wait…why do we want to push drinks to Britney and Michelle?"**_

"_**Because, Edward, it will be less opposition for us. Alice trust heir word. If we can incapacitate them on their own, then that's two less scouts."**_

"_**That's right Austin. Britney and Michelle pose major threats. Alice will trust their slurred speech any day so we have to get them to pass out. If she finds them, she'll assume it's just the alcohol and move on…but anyways, on to what I want you three to do…**_

Kim and I did our best to keep hidden in the bushes as Austin, Edward, and Andrew got up, all ready to fight. Kim reached into her bag and took out her cell phone. Whipping it open, she read again the names of the bouncers at the door. "David Richards and Clark Esteed…"

"Your last chance, Red. We won't-"

"We need to get in, Austin. Do what you must."

Ok. Let's go Bruisers. I will personally take care of Clark." Austin said as they crossed the street, heading to the house. The black-haired and blonde-haired guy instantly stopped the Bruisers with their extended arms, but with three well placed punches, they were down for the count.

_**Bruisers…I just want you to knock out the bouncers. If more show up, go ahead and take them out as well…**_

"Here you are my ladies." Edward said as he opened the front door for me and Kim. The music was loud, the house was reasonably dark, and the smell of perfume, cologne, and alcohol filled the air. I was the first one in followed by Kim.

"Thank you Bruisers. You're officially dismissed. And don't worry. You're well protected."

"We'll be in there later. You two owe us one shot each." He said as Edward closed the door behind us.

"Protip: don't drink anything those clowns give you." Kim said as we look at the horde of people inside the house.

"Wasn't planning to…"

"Ok, we know what to do." Kim said as she looked over at me. "Don't get caught, ok?" She said as I nodded in agreement.

"Same to you." I said as we went our separate ways.

"_**Lisa, once we're in, I want you to find Lauren. Lauren, when you find Lisa, tell her everything that happen so far. Scott's location, Alice's location, et cetera. I have my own thing I need to take care of." **_

I did my best to skillfully dodge my slightly drunken classmates but every now and then I got pushed into, elbowed, and even tripped over people. "Damn these are a lot of drunk almost adults…" I said to myself as I headed towards the living room, the heart of where the music was coming from. It was also the part of the house were we agreed to find each other.

"Lisa! There you are!" Lauren said as she hugged me with her free arm. Her other arm was keeping her drink steady.

"Oh, hey Lauren. Oh…you're friendly. SO what's going on? Inform me." I said to her, wanting to be debriefed. But Lauren just smiled at me, taking another sip of her drink.

"You should totally lighten up!" Lauren screamed over the music. "The plan is two hours long. No need to catch you up on the current events just yet. Do you want some? It's jungle juice. Fruit punch basically. Can't taste a thing." She said as she handed me her red Solo cup. In it was a very dark red liquid in it.

"What's in it?" I asked her as she shrugged. "Well…when in Rome. Bottom's up." I said as I took a small sip. It was sweet. Almost too sweet. I lowered the cup and looked at Lauren. I brought the cup back to my lips and drank some more. It was still sweet, with a hint of…something. I found myself taking one more big sip before realizing that I manage to kill the entire cup in three swigs. Lauren looked at me, impressed.

"Whoa Lisa…you can drink. Want me to get you another one?" She said, not waiting for my response and walking off.

"Lauren, wait! I- whoa…" I said, walking forwards fast to catch her but finding that my legs didn't move as fast as my brain wanted them to go. Something was happening. I felt more relaxed. My body was getting a little bit warmer, and it wasn't because of all the people around me. The music started to feel good…and my body wanted to dance.

_Is this the effect of alcohol?_ I thought to myself, looking at my hands and slowly opening and closing them. I felt my cheeks next. They were slightly warm.

"You ok, Lisa? Don't tell me you're already drunk." Lauren asked as she handed me another red Solo cup. "Don't drink it all in one go like you did with that last one. Nurse it. Take sips. Also, make sure it's never empty. An empty cup means people will invite you to shots and let me tell you…that alcohol is nowhere sweet as this." She said we toasted and took a small swig.

"Thanks…" I muttered, looking around. "So this is the effects of alcohol huh? Feels weird…"

"But it's sooo relaxing and eases your body. It's why people run into things or become unaware of things." She said, taking another sip. I copied her so I don't feel out of place. "Plus with this, you'll act like a real party-goer: drink in hand and slightly happy. No one will bother you as you go find Scott."

"Speaking of which…have you seen him?" I asked, leaning up against a wall to ease the burden of standing. Standing suddenly started to feel like an exercise.

"Mmm…not recently." Lauren said, joining right next to me on the wall. "We came here together…had a shot. Alice showed up with Michelle and Britney. Had another shot. At some point, Scott left but I kept Britney and Michelle near the drinks. It was my job afterall…"

"Oh God…how much have you had to drink?"

"…maybe six? Seven?" I instantly took Lauren's cup away from her.

"You're done."

"Wah! No fun!"

"Drink some water or something. I'm going to find Scott and see where those two lackeys are." I said, pouring whatever was left of her cup in mine. I got off the wall and begin to navigate through the people once more.

_Dammit. I shouldn't have filled my cup with Lauren's. It's too fully. Gotta drink it down some more…_

With that, I took a deep breath and took one good swig, taking care of one-third of the entire cup. There was no lag between drink and effect this time. As soon as I exhaled, my entire body felt loose. My eyelids drooped and the burning under my skin and stomach were more apparent. But I felt at ease. Happy, even. So this is what it's like to feel tipsy…maybe even drunk.

_Get it together Lisa! We gotta finish this first! For Kim and Scott!_

…_urg. Who cares about Kim and Scott?_

_Wha…?_

_Why am I even going this? What will this do for me? Kim and Scott will grow closer and closer while I continue to watch from the sidelines. They'll move on eventually…they'll leave poor Lisa Miller behind and get married or something…dammit Scott. Why didn't you pay more attention to me? I could easily do what Kim does for you, maybe even better. Why her? Why not me?_

The conflict in my head was getting overwhelming. I found an empty seat to sit and tried my best to keep my head on straight.

_I…I didn't mean that. I know I didn't mean that. It's the alcohol…it has to be. I would never try to break them up or anything. Keep it together, Lisa. I need to find Scott and…_

"Come here Scott, I think we can talk in here." A feminine voice said as I barely heard it coming from the staircase.

_That's Alice's voice! She's with Scott!_ I got up and carefully walked up the staircase just in time to see Scott and a tarted-up Alice enter a room. My eyes widen as I quickly stepped into a group of friends, doing my best to blend in with the crowd. I don't think the group mind that I suddenly entered their circle…they just looked at me and continued their discussion of comic-to-movie adaptations.

_Crap! I failed. She has Scott now. I can only pray that he…what?_ I thought as the door that Scott and Alice retreated into opened again, revealing Alice and her ridiculously low cut outfit. I quickly looked toward the center of the circle, facing my back towards her. Alice was heading towards the stairs, briefly passing me for a second. At first, I was relived, but then she stopped and backed up, looking specifically at the group of friends I was with.

_Crap! Crap! Crap! _If it wasn't for the fact that I had my back against her, she would have easily identified me by face. I felt Alice's presence nearby as it felt like she was directly behind me. Bullets of sweat was now forming on my brow as I suddenly felt a hand o my shoulder.

_OH SHI-_

"Hey guys! Hope you're having fun! There's more alcohol downstairs. Drink up!" She said over my ear, towards the people I was hiding with. I felt her gaze fall o me all of a sudden. I couldn't make eye contact with her. I couldn't talk to her. I had to be perfectly still. There was a moment of silence…

…then…

"You need to ease up! You're so tense!" She said, laughing and moving away from the group. I saw her disappear off the corner of my eye and I let out one of the biggest sighs of relief.

_That…that was too close. I think I just shorten my life by ten years._ I thought to myself as I quickly moved out of the group and entered the room I saw Alice leave. What I was expecting to be a bedroom, turned out to be a study room. Walls covered with shelves of books. Off to the side was Scott Pilgrim, sitting in a very comfortable looking chair, sipping on his drink.

"L-Lisa? What are you doing here? I thought you weren't invited."

"The world works in weird ways. Now come on. We need to get you out of here!" I said to him as I took his hand and tried to pull him up on his feet. Then I remembered…I'm really weak.

"Wait, why? I'm having fun. And I'm learning a lot about Alice, just like Kim wanted."

"The plan changed. I need you to get up and go to the living room now. You know…the room with the DJ." I said, continually pulling at his farm to move. I wasn't sure how much time I had, but I need Scott to leave the room before she got back. If she only sees me, then it's ok. But if she sees both of us, then it's ruined.

"What do you mean the plan changed?" Scott asked.

_Dammit Scott! What is this? Twenty questions? I need you to move! Kim's relying on you to…that's it!_

"Scott! Kim's here!"

"What? She is? Why?"

"Who cares, right? She's here and she's alone and she wants to see you! She's…uh…in the living room! She'll tell you what's going on." I lied to him, but he instantly got up and nodded.

"A-Alright. I'm going to go see her. Thanks Lisa!" he said as he bolted out. It pained my soul to lie to him like that, but it had to be done. I quickly took Scott's seat and started moving my hair around, making sure my bangs were slightly in my face.

"Um…Lisa?" I saw Scott's head pop from the other side of the doorframe.

"Y-yes?"

"…why are you wearing the exact same clothes as me?" And why is your hair brown?"

"J-just nevermind! Get out of here! Kim's waiting!" I said to him as Scott's head disappeared from the doorframe. I sighed as I continued to fix my hair and position myself in the seat, based on how Scott was sitting when I saw him.

"_**Lisa, you're part in this plan is huge. Since I'll be taking care of other things in the house, I need you to find Scott…"**_

"Sorry I made you wait, Scott. I got the drinks I promised!" Alice said as she entered the room and walked towards me. I kept my head down…

I couldn't allow her to see my eyes.

"…_**and act as Scott's double."**_

"Thanks." I said, trying my best to mimic Scott's voice. I was practicing all last night. For a good hour, I was able to do simple, three word sentences. But anything farther than that and my voice breaks.

"_**Wait, why me?"**_

"_**You're the most qualified, Lisa. Upcoming actress and all. Think of this as practice for acting. All I need you to do is get Scott out, fish for information, and buy me some time."**_

"You wouldn't believe it. Both Britney and Michelle already passed out. Had to get people to help me carry them to my room. Kinda sad…this party was just getting better." Alice said, sitting next to me.

_Man, this is some hardcore espionage. It's a good thing they lings in here are dim…I can barely see her own face. There is no way she'll recognize me._

"Um…yeah." I responded back. I need to think of some better responses.

"So Scott. How are things with Kim?" She asked, leaning towards me as she asked the question. I backed away slightly, still not wanting to make eye contact.

"They're…good." I said, again, keeping it below three word responses.

"That's good. I thought she would stay a silent, angry girl for the rest of high school. Did she say anything about me and her?" Alice asked. My heart raced.

_This is it! I can finally get information about those two…!_

"No." I started, taking a moment to adjust my voice. "What happened?"

"Oh…it's nothing exciting really. Besides, you two are dating. I don't want to ruin your image of her."

"Tell me." I said again. "I want to…know." Alice raised an eyebrow at me, maybe detecting my struggle with that sentence. But she took one more swig from her drink before putting it on the ground.

"Well…just don't go around telling people this, ok? Kim and I…we were once good friends. The best, even. We were freshman and in the same homeroom. Back then, the homeroom desks were arranged in fours so four people per table. It was me, Kim, Lauren, and Clark Esteed. Within the weeks we were force to see each other, we slowly became friends with each other. A close knit group. But I found myself being able to relate to Kim, oppose to Lauren and Clark. She was like me in a way. She wanted to be known…wanted friends…become noticed. But we took two different approaches. I took the more 'social' path to popularity while Kim took the 'academic' route. We were popular in our own way. Freshman would go see her for homework help while others come to me to hang out and chat. Naturally, my popularity grew higher and faster than Kim's…not to mention that my dad was the dean of students and the principal. If anything, everyone was ass-kissing me because of my dad while Kim was getting friends from her natural abilities. I was jealous of her. She was far less people talking to her everyday while I had hordes of people talking to me…but they liked her for her. The people that talk to me wanted to be my friend because of my connections to the higher ups. But that wasn't the worse part of it…"

"What happened?" I asked, not disguising my voice. I forgot to. But she didn't seem to notice. She seems to be wrapped up in her own world.

"Clark Esteed. Currently St. Joel's star quarterback. Kim's first crush. My first crush…" Alice said, bringing her face to her hands. "…my first boyfriend."

_Oh no…it was about a guy. No wonder Kim's so freaked out about Alice inviting Scott and not her. She's scared that Alice will steal him away from her like she did before…_

"Despite our growing popularity differences, we still hung out together and joked around. At some point, we both came to realize that we both developed a crush on our mutual friend, Clark. Lauren, at the time, was interested in something other than boys. But between us, we had a passive-aggressive love triangle within the group. As the weeks went by…we started competing for Clark's heart. I would use my connection to get whatever he wanted while Kim used her brain to help out the jock-brained boy. It all came down to a point that will break our little group up…they day Clark confessed to me."

"He chose you?" I asked.

"Yeah. He chose me. And since then, Kim grew apart from our group. Lauren did her best to keep in touch with both groups but she'll eventually go off and join Kim's camp. But I don't blame her. Kim needs friends. Lauren still does her best to be a bridge between us but…it's not helping any.

"I don't understand. Why?" I asked. According to Alice's story, it would look like she was the victim here. Kim is just holding a drudge because she wasn't chosen. Is Kim being petty? Is this just another side of Kim that she doesn't want people to see?

"Even though we've grown apart, I still consider her one of my close friends. I invited her to all these parties just so I can talk to her, you know, as slightly drunk equals. But she would walk away from me whenever I get close. She really hates me. That's why I need you, Scott."

"M-Me? Why?"

"I need you to talk to Kim for me. Why do you think I invited you and not her? I needed to get you alone without her influence. She would never allow me to get close to you in a scenario like this. And since you two are dating, you can throw in a good word for me. I need you to be my new bridge between her and me. I don't want her to hate me anymore. Despite what happened in the past, I want to be her friend again." Alice said to me. Off of the corner of my eye, I could see her eyes getting watery. Tears were about to come down.

_I…I don't know what to believe in anymore. Alice has been painted as a bitch that has the entire school eating out of the palm of her hand but here she is: a scared, alone, young girl who just wants her best friend back._

"I'll help you…" I said to her, unsure if I was talking on Scott's behalf or my own. What she did next was unexpected…and VERY BAD in my current position.

She hugged me…

…and buried her head in my chest.

"Thank you Scott. Ever since Clark chose me over Kim, I've been trying to find a way to make amends and…um…" Alice stopped as I felt my face turn red as she moved her head left and right against my chest. I could look like Scott, act like Scott, even sound like Scott…

…but there was no hiding human anatomy.

_Oh CRAP!_

"This…is some chest you have here Sco-" Alice said as she looked up at my face.

We made eye contact.

Scott and I have different colored eyes.

…damn you genetics!

"LISA MILLER!" Alice screamed, getting out of her seat immediately.

"N-N-Ni Hao!" I greeted in Chinese, but that didn't pacify her…not that Chinese was proven to pacify her to begin with.

"How did you get in! I told those guys to keep uninvited guest out! Miller, you're such a dead little-" Alice yelled at me, her arms extended with the intention of strangling me. I balled up, hoping it would protect me from the onslaught that Alice was about to inflict on me.

"'Ever since Clark chose me over Kim, I've been trying to find a way to make amends.' Nice one Alice. Nice to see you haven't lost your touch." We both turned around to see Kim standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and staring right as us.

"Kim! How did you get in? How long have you been standing there?" Alice demanded as Kim strolled in, closing the door behind her. She had a piece of paper in her hand, but it was folded in a way so it's impossible to read its contents without unfolding it.

"Just got here myself. Heard you yell Lisa's name so I figured her clover got blown." Kim said as she looked at me. I mouthed out 'sorry' as she nodded back in forgiveness. "Trying to get Scott isolated in a private room so you can talk to him about past us, huh Alice?"

"That's none of your business." Alice snapped. "And he was never yours to begin with."

"I beg to differ. I believe he hung out with me to begin with. Then you had to do you little tricks to get him to notice you. The letter, I believe. You use that letter of yours to get him alone." Kim said.

_This is it. They're talking about Scott. This is the confrontation that Kim wanted all this time. What is Scott to Alice? Does she like him or was she really just using him to act as an ambassador? _

"I believe the saying goes 'all's far in love and war'."

"He liked me! They only reason he looked at you was because you manipulated his feelings." Kim yelled at her.

"I did nothing to him that made him change his feelings. I didn't bribe him or anything!" Alice yelled back.

"That's a lie! She gave me a drink." I said out loud. Both Kim and Alice looked at me for a moment before looking back at each other.

"I confined in you, Alice. We were after the same guy but I still confined in you because you were my best friend. And what did you do…?" Kim trailed as my eyes widen.

_No…I was wrong. They're not talking about Scott. They're talking about…!_

"…you used that information to get Clark to date you. You told him all about my insecurities and fears and convinced him that he would be wasting his time with a 'scared' little girl. You manipulated his feelings to your advantage and used my insecurities to get what you wanted. Good show, Alice."

"Kim, wait."

"I'm leaving Alice. Have a great party." Kim said, walking out of the room. It was then I understood the rift that was created between the two. I understood why Kim hated Alice and why Alice hated Kim: it was because of popularity and boys. Out of it all, though, I found myself sympathizing with Alice. Her story may be bias, but I can understand what she wanted: a bridge to finally close the rift between them. But there was still doubt in my mind. Was she serious about making amends with her Or did she want sympathy form Scott?"

"Leave Lisa. Leave or I swear to God I'll kill you."

She didn't have to tell me twice. I quietly got up and headed to the door.

"You know…you can still make amends with her." I said, holding onto the doorframe. Alice didn't respond. Her head was hung low and her long blonde hair was covering her face. "…and I still mean it when I said I'll help you out."

"Just leave…" I nodded as I left the room. There, among the crowds of people, was Kim.

"So no you know the truth. The question is…who do you believe?" Kim asked as we headed downstairs.

"I-I don't know. I mean, if she wanted to make it up to you, wouldn't she have done it by now?" I asked her we found Lauren resting on a chair. Kim motioned her to follow as we walked towards the kitchen.

It takes two people to accept a gift. I never accepted anything Alice tried to give me for an apology." Kim said. "Do you believe my story?"

"I…I don't know." I admitted. Whether it was the alcohol or not, it was hard to trust which story was correct. We found Scott happily chewing on carrot sticks and he joined out little pack.

"Well, believe what you want. I don't care."

"You…you don't?"

"I have Scott now. And with him, there stupid things seems…petty now." Kim said a Scott wrapped an arm around her. Scott had no idea what we were talking about, and neither did Lauren, but I don't think they cared. They were too drunk to care.

"So does that mean you forgive Alice?" I asked, hopeful.

"Hmm…no. I'll never forget her betrayal. Even if it's stupid, I'm going to be petty about it."

"That's mature…" I joked as Kim elbowed me.

"Like I'm really that mature to begin with." Kim said to me. "Let's go home. My tolerance for loud music and drunken people has hit its limit."

"Agreed."

"Have you guys tried that red drink? That stuff is awesome!"

"Shut up Scott…"

* * *

"Arg! I can't believe I lost it!" Kim yelled as we were walking down the halls of St. Joel's Monday afternoon, a minute after school ended. Kim was violently ruffling her hair in frustration as I walked next to her, hoping no one will associate me with the current psychotic mess that is Kim Pine.

"F-Forgot what?"

"The permission slip! The permission slip! The whole reason I wanted to crash that party!" Kim yelled again. I was thoroughly confused.

"Wait. Back up. I thought you wanted to crash that party because of Alice's intentioned for Scott. Are you telling me there were ulterior motives?" I asked her as she scratched her head.

"I may or may not have had a different plan…"

"Kim!"

"But it was for the band!"

"The band?" I asked.

"Yeah. When you mentioned that Scott went to see if he could rent the drum set, I knew he was destined to fail. He needed the stamp of approval from Dean Thomas. Like hell he'll get that. So I took the initiative. I got the form last week, filled it out, and even got my drum coach to sign it. The only thing missing was Dean Thomas. Now… he probably won't sign it…even for me. But then I got the idea of sneaking into his personal quarters while the party was going on and 'commandeer' is stamp.

"That's…evil. Sinister even. Who are you?" I said, backing away. My words were playful, but it would seem to have struck a chord with her.

"I…I don't know sometimes…" Kim said as I wrapped an arm around her for comfort.

"It's alright. It's the thought of the band that counts." I said to her, but she was still in deep thought. As we headed towards the Nothing Club (Scott BEGGED us to show up today), we saw the Bruisers hanging out in the hallway, making a human barricade in front of us. We stopped in front of them and they just stared at us. After a minute, they step aside and allowed us through.

"Oh yeah…that reminds me." I said. "How did you guarantee safety for the Bruisers? Sabotage the cameras? Call in dirty deeds? Drug the party-goers?" I listed, trying to see if I can come up with Kim's master plan. She shook her head, however, and gave me a simple answer.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Yup. Nothing. You see…Alice doesn't have many 'exciting' friends. When I went to these parties, it fell like a drag because no one went crazy or got in trouble or anything. Getting the Bruisers in there will not only guarantee our entrance inside but give life to an otherwise dull party. And I know the students wouldn't rat them out. Why rat out the life of the party? The only ones that would do that is Michelle and Britney but Lauren would take care of them. The truth is, she can drink anyone under the table. She's one crazy girl…"

"But what will stop Alice?"

"Alice? You mean the hostess that's holing illegal drinking parties at her house? The one person that has to clean up the mess afterwards, no matter how trashed her place gets? What is she going to do, call the cops? Alice can't do anything. So I did nothing in terms of the Bruisers' security. Funny how things work out in the end, huh?"

"Sounds like dumb luck, if anything. But it's still sad we couldn't get the drums. That would have been awesome."

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Kim quoted as we got near the clubroom. Then we heard something. Something along the lines of someone smashing a gong or…a cymbal. Both Kim and I looked at each other as we both ran to the clubroom where the noise was coming from. We opened the door to see Scott Pilgrim drumming away at the school's drum set.

"Check it out guys! Check this beat out!" Scott yelled as he hit random drums and cymbals.

"Scott! How did you…" Kim started as she took off her backpack and walked to the drum set. I was going to join them when I noticed a while piece of paper o the desk nearby. I picked it up and read it over, my eyes widening as I read into the details.

_It's the approval form! But something's off. Kim said she made the form last week. This form was dated today. All the signatures look fresh, including the stamp from Dean Thomas. The person who'll be responsible for its care is Kim Pine…it will be housed in the Nothing Club when the band is not practicing…Mr. Monroe is the Professor who will monitor its use…but who created the actual…?_

Then I read the name of the petitioning student.

_Alice Thomas_

I lowered the form to see Kim now talking a seat and giving Scott drumming lessons.

_Maybe this is Alice's way to make amends. Not like Kim can refuse this._

"Come on guys, let's practice!" I said as I placed the form down on the table as I saw Scott's eyes light up.

"Totally! Let's do it!" Scott said, looking at Kim. "Kim?"

"Well…I do have my rums. So let's do it."

"Alright! We'll have our first practice right now! Sonic and Knuckles has official been formed!" I said as I stood on the right side of the drums and Scott stood on the opposite side."Live! From the Nothing Club! We are Sonic and Knuckles! One! Two! One, two, three, FOUR!"

And then…

…silence…

"…you idiots don't even have your instruments here!" Kim yelled at us as Scott and I sighed with depression.

_Well…there's always tomorrow…_

* * *

_I'm glad I'm dating Kim. And I'm happy that she likes me for who I am…_

…_but…_

…_why does Alice's words ring loudly in my heed?_

"_What's your circumstance, Scott?"_

"_My what?"_

"_You know, your circumstance, your condition, your reason to date Kim Pine? What was it that made you realize you wanted her to be yours?"_

"_I…I don't know. Never really thought about it."_

_My circumstance in dating Kim Pine…_

* * *

To Be Continued…

_**Next: Life at St Joel's 033: His circumstance!**_


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